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taranis wrote:I am a typical British person when it comes to tipping, I only tip when I have exceptional service, I do not tip as a rule.

Americans stand on this as well... and since tips are part of a workers wage there, it tends to motivate some pretty exceptional service as a standard. it's one reason we tend to get so frustrated elsewhere when everything is more expensive but the service is, to us, lackluster.

Should be fucking banned... Well no, tipping now and then if the service is exceptional is ok, but I think it should be avoided at all costs. I admittedly tip way more than I should though.

Many times I've noticed the delight on people's faces when you do tip them however I've also seen this turn into expectation as well and that always leads to disappointment.

If I go to a place that has a moto guard I will almost always tip them 500r or 1000r unless they are completely useless or if I'm sitting in close proximity to my moto and minding it myself. Most of them seem to really appreciate it and seem happy to see you next time and take good care of you.

Another thing I've done in the past where cafes have a loyalty card is to tip the staff the value of the free coffees when they come up. Again this seems to lead to expectation but they do seem to value the extra dosh.

But tips for mediocrity? Screw that.

depends on couple of things.
1. service, if its decent, i try to leave something.
2. what i got on me, some days i just don't bring enough.
3. the moto guards, i always give tho. i think they work on tips.

Anyone writing "get a real job" or other rude crap like that on the bill is a total douchebag and doesn't deserve to be waited on by anyone again. I don't know about the UK, but in the US, waitresses/waiters often make appallingly low salaries and they survive mostly on tips. I can only imagine waitress' salaries in Cambodia are quite low. Reasonable effort with good attitude by the waitstaff deserves some tip, IMO.

Soi Dog wrote:Anyone writing "get a real job" or other rude crap like that on the bill is a total douchebag and doesn't deserve to be waited on by anyone again. I don't know about the UK, but in the US, waitresses/waiters often make appallingly low salaries and they survive mostly on tips. I can only imagine waitress' salaries in Cambodia are quite low. Reasonable effort with good attitude by the waitstaff deserves some tip, IMO.

I completely agree regarding the writing "get a real job" part, but low salaries are, directly or indirectly, the result of tipping. Tips shift the responsibility of paying workers from the employer to the consumer. It's essentially an excuse to pay crap wages.
"Hey, don't worry about this crap salary, you'll make tips!"
How about just paying workers a fair/livable wage in the first place? So in a way, giving tips can be counter-intuitive because it perpetuates the whole thing. "Oh, they make a crappy salary so I should tips them..." Well, why doesn't the employer pay them more in the first place? Sure, maybe that would mean slightly higher prices, but at least the employer is held responsible for providing a decent salary. The whole concept is stupid. Do any of you tip flight attendants? Why not?! They don't exactly make big bucks either and they provide a service. The list goes on and on...

Soi Dog wrote: Anyone writing "get a real job" or other rude crap like that on the bill is a total douchebag and doesn't deserve to be waited on by anyone again. I don't know about the UK, but in the US, waitresses/waiters often make appallingly low salaries and they survive mostly on tips. I can only imagine waitress' salaries in Cambodia are quite low. Reasonable effort with good attitude by the waitstaff deserves some tip, IMO.

My understanding is that a lot of staff in Western oriented establishments are getting around $80 per month and that many in Khmer oriented places are getting as low as $50 - $60 per month, but that may include meals and shared room lodging.

I found it amusing when speaking with someone recently about simple diner style food just how expensive that shit is everywhere else. A simple breakfast, 2 eggs, bacon, toast and a pancake, can be had in the US for about $3 (+tip). A significantly more advanced one may run you around $5-6, and a deluxe sort of thing $6-10. An example of this would be one of my favorites, the Country Boy Breakfast from Cracker Barrel (family restaurant chain)... $7 and includes: country Ham, pork Chops or steak, 3 eggs, fried apples, grits, hash brown casserole (pure heaven), sausage gravy, biscuits (scones for the english), jams. But we'd add on another $2-3 tip, so it wouldn't be that far off in the end. However if you come from england and enjoy the low price but then refuse the tip out of your belief that they're a shit system (this happens a lot, and is why most servers dread any customer from europe), you're stealing from the employee.

Compared to England where, as the internet tells me, it would be around $7-8 after conversion from sterling. My guestimate for the described meal would cost in England would be around $10-12 after converting. Part of this is because of the (+tip) aspect. Saved wages translate into cheaper products, then allow the staff to earn wage on merit at the customer's discretion vs just showing up for a salary and being shit at their job.

OrangeDragon wrote:A significantly more advanced one may run you around $5-6, and a deluxe sort of thing $6-10. An example of this would be one of my favorites, the Country Boy Breakfast from Cracker Barrel (family restaurant chain)... $7 and includes: country Ham, pork Chops or steak, 3 eggs, fried apples, grits, hash brown casserole (pure heaven), sausage gravy, biscuits (scones for the english), jams.

Why would anyone need to eat all that food for fricking breakfast?

FFS! Would you like the side of beef extra, spit roasted lamb? How about this wafer thin mint Mr Creosote?

Just out of curiosity, what would your average American super porker eat for lunch and dinner after a breakfast like that?