What we really think about leaving a tip

The BigChilli Survey: TIPPING

TO tip or not to tip. That is NOT the question, as it turns out. While most of us are generous when it comes to giving gratuities, what concerns us more is that the money goes to the right people – those who serve us.

In our survey on tipping, only one respondent out of almost 500 believed that the entire service charge on a typical restaurant or hotel bill actually goes to the staff. Put another way, 99% are pretty sure that it is kept in full or in part by their employers.

Interestingly, the single case against this happening is provided by a Bangkok hotel executive, who offered an insider’s view. “I think the majority of establishments do ensure the service charge goes to the staff.”

He went on: “Please also remember that the ‘staff’ also includes people whom you may not see, from the chef who cooks your meal, to the cleaners etc.”

When a service charge is not automatically charged, 90% of respondents gave the altogether surprising figure of 10-20% of the total bill. In cash terms, the highest figure mentioned was 100 baht.

Other replies were as follows:

• Are there occasions when you do not leave a tip?
 65% said there are occasions when they refuse to leave a tip or one that’s less than 10% of the bill. These included “poor” ‘rude” and “inattentive” service.

• Are you happy that many establishments like hotels and restaurants automatically add a service charge/tip on your bill?
 More than 50% of respondents do not like being forced to leave a tip.

Typical responses were: “I want to be the judge on how much I feel like leaving” and “it should be a customer’s decision.”

Several respondents commented that staff should be paid a decent wage, and not have to rely on tips. “It’s their responsibility, not ours,” said one. “For places that don’t add a service charge, I am more likely to give a larger tip,” said another, who concluded: “Automatic service charge often results in poorer service as staff have no motivation to excel.”

Several respondents also thought a ‘net’ rate incorporating a charge for service was preferable.

Commented one: “What I am NOT happy about is that the entire hospitality industry has a ‘plus plus’ habit in pricing. The price I ‘see’ when an offer is made is NOT the price I will pay, because services and taxes will be added. Even when ++ is mentioned below a price, it should not be the patron’s duty to calculate extra charges and taxes when considering an offer. It should be the establishment’s to quote an all-in price, or what is sometimes referred to as ‘net’ price.”

• In Thailand, the service charge is 10%. Is this fair and reasonable?
 95% agreed. Several pointed out, however, that in some local eateries and up-country restaurants, tips are very discretionary and perhaps more in the range of 5%, or fixed sums like B20, B50, B100, even up to B500 per group, and not related to actual percentages. “A percentage is not always an appropriate way to reward a service, and 10% might as well be too small or too large an amount depending on a situation,” noted one respondent.

• Do you ever leave an additional tip over and above the service charge?
 90% said they do on most occasions – except, one assumes, when the service is below par (see above: Are there occasions when you do not leave a tip?)

• Has anybody been rude when you have not left a tip?
 100% said this has never happened to them in Thailand. This is apparently not the case elsewhere as several respondents recalled rude comments from unhappy staff in Europe and the US.

• If you worked in the service industry and part of your earnings came from gratuities, would you get angry if a customer whom you had served well refused to leave a tip?
45% said no, while several respondents replied they’d be disappointed. One was philosophical, noting that some customers always tip while others never leave a tip.

40% said they would be angry, especially if they had done a good job.

One person pointed out that France had solved the problem by making it law for all prices to include taxes and service charges. “Overnight the French stopped tipping and everyone was happier.”

An alternative view came from a former service industry worker. “I can say that it works the other way round: you discover that being attentive, helpful, friendly and polite results in extra income.

“Not getting a tip for a really good effort is an exception that could be due perhaps to a customer’s oversight, a different set of customs, and occasionally just a grumpy client. Overall it’s a rare occurrence and not cause for anger.

The BigChilli Tipping questionnaire was emailed to 521 people. Demographically, the recipients represented the magazine’s readership: 80% expatriates (50% men and 50% women) and 20% Thais. A total of 491 people replied - an extraordinarily high figure for this type of survey. The rest declined or did not answer; one replied suggesting we should take our “cheap plugs somewhere else.”