tipping. Do you tip?

[GoktimusPrime]

Rarely -- only if the service is exceptional.
And who can forget that old Pizza Hut ad with Dougie...
"Do I get a tip?"
"Yeah... work hard, be kind to your mother."

[Tober]

If a taxi driver gets me where I want to go with no screwing around I'll tip around $5. Fancy restaurants around 10% unless service is sub-standard. Local take-away places I regularly go to I let them keep the $1 or so change.

[Bartrim]

This reminds me of the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs

[LordCyrusOmega]

This reminds me of the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs

Me too. Mister Pink makes a good point.

[UltraMarginal]

I tip if I get good service in a restaurant, or it's a restaurant I go to regularly, I'll do the keep the change bit.
BUT, there is no need to tip in Australia, our customer service industry is farily well paid, and have fairly good conditions.
If I don't get good service I do not tip.

A taxi, might get a tip if he's quick, pleasant and doesn't go the long way. I have been close to underpaying a taxi on occasion when a trip cost a lot more than it should have, because he took an odd route.

In America, as mentioned by others, their customer service industry is paid a very basic wage. the system is intended to promote good service, if you don't get good service you still don't have to tip.
The idea is it gives staff incentive to give good service so that they then get a tip, if they are always very good, they can make a tidy living off tips. so if I do get good service in the states I do give a tip. 10 - 15 % as is recommended.

in Australia my tip amount is often the loose change of the purchase, in the case of a taxi, I'll throw a dollar or 3 into the deal if I decide to give a tip. In the case of a Pizza delivery, if it was fast and courteous, they get a couple dollars change, but like also mentioned, if they don't even lok like getting chnge out, they aren't getting a tip.

it's a complex place in my head

[jaydisc]

A couple things to note with tipping in America:

1. Hospitality workers get paid below minimum wage.
In 1995 or so, I waited tables. At that time, minimum wage was about $5.20. My colleagues and I got $2.30 per hour. This is legal and just how it is. Regardless, we still netted $100 on a good night, so naturally, we didn't mind.

2. Hospitality workers are taxed based on the expectation of a gratuity.
That's right. Whether you tip them the standard 15% or not, their income is taxed as if you did.

Since none of these points are true in Australia, I see no need to tip here. I did a bit when I first moved here over a decade ago, but I don't any more, unless they really go out of their way to make our exchange pleasurable, which in all my hindsight Australian memories, can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

As to the system's effectiveness, from the opinion of a dual citizen, Australian service does not compare to that in America. I'm sure that's subjective, but I can't recall anyone with suitable experience disagreeing with me on that point. I remember being in New Zealand about 5 years ago and being told that they were considering implementing a tipping system there due to how badly perceived the service was, at the very least from a tourist perspective. Did that ever happen?

Lastly, a major pet peeve of mine, regardless of location, are businesses without table service that have the nerve to put out a tip jar.

[LordCyrusOmega]

$2.30 an hour? Thats 6c less an hour I got during my first year apprenticship

[ITZTRU]

Lastly, a major pet peeve of mine, regardless of location, are businesses without table service that have the nerve to put out a tip jar.

definitely in agreement with this statement.

Imagine walking into McDonald's and seeing a tip jar for every register...

[Bartrim]

Rarely -- only if the service is exceptional.
And who can forget that old Pizza Hut ad with Dougie...
"Do I get a tip?"
"Yeah... work hard, be kind to your mother."

LOL. I prefer Al Bundy when he catches his daughter curled up with the pizza delivery guy eating pizza.

Pizza Guy to Al Bundy "You owe $7.50+ a tip"
Al Bundy grabs Pizza Guy by the the collar and drives him head first into the door "Here's a tip, doors are hard. Keep the change" Then throws him out.

[GoktimusPrime]

tron07: I can believe that. One time I was at a Hanami (Cherry Blossom viewing event) and I'd dropped my wallet somewhere, but I didn't realise it (cos often you don't realise that you've lost your wallet until you want to buy something) -- so for hours and hours I walked around without my wallet until I'd already left the Hanami venue. I walked into a convenience store to buy something, and to my horror the wallet was gone. I hurried back to the venue -- certain that it'd be gone by now, but as I retraced my steps, there on a low tree branch (i.e. eye height) was my wallet sitting there. Someone had kindly placed it there - out of the way yet clearly visible. And all my cash was still there. Hundreds of people must have walked past that tree with my wallet sitting in it and nobody touched it.

During the summer time I frequently come across cars parked with the keys in the ignition and the doors left open (to keep the car cool I presume). Sometimes with the engine running. The first time I saw this, I thought some silly person had accidentally done this, but then afterwards when I walked back, the car was still there - doors still open, keys still in the ignition.

The Japanese are generally a very honest people. Unless they have something not very kind to say, in which case they'll outright lie - e.g. if a foreigner speaks horrifically crap Japanese, they'll tell him/her that s/he's incredibly fluent. Or my ex who decided not to tell me that she was cheating on me. (but I suppose most cheaters don't fess up till they're caught ) But generally speaking they are very honest.