I'm not tipping them!

[bucknaway]

I know tipping has gone too far when I heard a suggestion that airplane cabin crew should be tipped if the flight didn't suck.  Well, they didn't put it that way.  They "The voice on a youtube video" suggested that if you had a good flight, consider tipping the cabin crew.  Well I refuse!  I am not going on vacation to tip every person that looks my way!  I'd be broke before I got to my hotel!

 

With that being said...  I am going to do my best to reduce my non-gogo boy bar tips down to 20 baht.  No more 100 baht tips just for bringing me a beer.  I don't even tip 3 dollars to a beer server here at home.  The bank of Bucknaway is closed and undergoing renovations!  

 

[paulsf]

That’s fine, it’s your money, your entitled to spend it any way you want. I’m sure you need it more than the working staff.

Plenty other Cheap Charlie’s around here. Your in good company.

Just curious why you feel to announce to the world your not tipping anymore. Could it be you like the attention you’ll get ?

[bucknaway]

For feedback and to read others thoughts. I like the info. Even your position I found helpful, it told me a little about you. Thanks for sharing.

[fedssocr]

most airlines have policies that don't allow their crew to accept tips.

 

I think the people who typically get most under-tipped/under-paid are hotel housekeepers. 

[bucknaway]

most airlines have policies that don't allow their crew to accept tips.

 

I think the people who typically get most under-tipped/under-paid are hotel housekeepers. 

 

I think you are right.  I remember seeing a show where a reporter worked with hotel cleaning staff in "Phuket?" and she had only a few minutes to clean the room and the pay was heartbreaking. They were given just enough supplies to do the rooms and had to pay for anything missing on their carts.  There were a few other things that happened in the video but those were the main things I remember.

 

Now I try not to make a big mess in my room.  and if I do, I try to reduce the amount of work necessary to straighten it up.  That, and I increase the daily tip I leave.  After all.  She or he knows all my secrets.  I know they are counting the used condoms in the wastebasket!  haha!

[paborn]

"For feedback and to read others thoughts. I like the info. Even your position I found helpful, it told me a little about you. Thanks for sharing."

 

What you should have gotten from the remark was that he was appalled. Not by your post about flight attendants but by your applying that to overworked and underpaid staff in Thai establishments. Tip the boys who sit with you and endure your groping and salivating just  B20. For God's sake rethink this.......

[bucknaway]

I'm not changing the guys tips in gogo bars, but when I go to hotmale or boys boys boys, I'm not tipping 100 baht to the guy that bring me a 200 or 300 or 400 baht beer. I'm only going to tip 20 baht. If they want more they will have to find a way to earn a bigger tip from me.

 

He didn't read the post or I failed to be clear that I was not going to overtip bar waitstaff anymore. I bar hop too much to waste money.

 

Cheap Charlie? I've heard worse names. I may even let staff know I'm cheap Charlie but I'm sure many would laugh at that title on me.

[biguyby]

I personally have never heard of any of the Airlines that I travel on where the Cabin Crew ask for, expect or receive tips.

 

And as for any tips elsewhere I believe that is up to the individual to decide on how much and was the service received worthy of a tip.

[Guest frequentflier]

Last of the big spenders.Sad.

[TMax]

most airlines have policies that don't allow their crew to accept tips.

 

I think the people who typically get most under-tipped/under-paid are hotel housekeepers. 

 

Usually by the end of my stay at a hotel I have accumulated a small bag full of loose change (around 300 baht or more in coins) and this I pass onto the house maid, also throw in any 20 baht notes I have leftover. Not much I know but it's next to useless to me at trips end

[paborn]

Frankly, my job for 25 years was as a consultant for T&E expenses. During years of airline negotiations and work in the industry I never heard, not a hint, not a whisper about tipping cabin attendants. 

[witty]

When Swissair was still around in the last millennium, I did observe with some curiosity a few European travellers tipping the delightful cabin attendants who gladly accepted the tips.

Don't know about American airlines though.

[vinapu]

 but when I go to hotmale or boys boys boys, I'm not tipping 100 baht to the guy that bring me a 200 or 300 or 400 baht beer. I'm only going to tip 20 baht. 

 

 

Relax, this is what I'm doing for years in bars, 20 baht tip for every serving of drink regardless of drink cost i.e. 20 baht at Tawan where drink is 400 and 20 baht at Winners where drink is 79.

If I order another drink later,  it will be 20 baht again but if I'm in company and server brings us 2 drinks at the same time , it's still 20 baht tip only as I consider it 1 serving.

 

An idea of tipping aircraft crew is nothing short of lunacy IMNSHO

[ggobkk]

I tip the housekeeper each day. I learned from a hotel employee that in many cases the housekeeper who checks the room while I’m at the lobby desk completing checkout, will take the tips left for the one who did the cleaning. When possible I hand the tip directly to the housekeeper.

[Boy69]

I heard from boys in the bar that we the western ('falangs') considered to be cheap Charlies compare to the South east tourists.Our calculated approach consider by many Thai boys as stinginess.Personally if I received a good service I tend to give generous tip .

[ChristianPFC]

Tipping airline crew? That idea is absurd!

 

With that being said...  I am going to do my best to reduce my non-gogo boy bar tips down to 20 baht.  No more 100 baht tips just for bringing me a beer.  I don't even tip 3 dollars to a beer server here at home.  The bank of Bucknaway is closed and undergoing renovations!  

 

I used to tip inconsistently in the past (up to five years ago, sometimes 20 THB, sometimes nothing), but then stopped tipping altogether. I think it's incumbent on the business owner to pay his staff, I don't want to have anything to with it. I pay the goods I order, that's it.

 

I usually stay in cheap hotels (300-500 THB in the provinces, in places like Chiang Mai or Phuket I would have to go up to 700, or if I want a certain location and a km further would not do or there is not much choice hotel-wise), where a tip would not be expected.

 

And in gogo bars, well if I pay up to 200 THB for a drink, that should be enough to allow the owner/manager to pay his staff a decent wage?

[reader]

I've never tipped flights attendants but when I was regularly flying Northwest to BKK via NRT here's what I'd do. I'd stop at a small Italian bakery near my home and get a box of assorted cookies. When I boarded the flight, I hand them to the first attendant who greeted me. Since I was frequently departing out Detroit or Minneapolis, I got to know some of the crews and I viewed it as a gesture of appreciation but certainly not as a tip. I once gave a best-seller I was reading (and finished before Tokyo) to an attendant who asked me about it.

 

Regarding tipping go-go bar waiters, if I'm paying by the round, and the bill is say 350, I give them 400 and let them keep the change. If I'm paying the bin after a few drinks, I try to round up so the tip approximates  15%. However, if I'm in a regular bar I tip according to how long I'm there, the amount of my tab and the service I receive. I think an evening of fun in one of my regular bars in bkk is worth something in vicinity of a red note when I leave.

 

Regarding tips to those who service my hotel room, it depends on a few factors. If they leave the room clean and well supplied with fresh towels and bottled water, I tip 40-60 bht per day.

 

As for the comment that farangs have a reputation as cheap charlies, I'm sure there's a minority who are but that's certainly not what I hear in massage shops. Customers from countries where it's customary to tip generously tend to do the same when abroad, I find.

 

Here's a list of 10 other ways you an keep your flight attendants happy from Smarter Traveler:

 

It’s This Easy

 

If there’s one wish every flight attendant has, it’s this: Be nice. “It’s so rare these days that when someone looks at me I notice,” says Heather Poole, flight attendant and author of Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crash-pads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet. “If that same person also says something nice I’m almost always too shocked to respond. A kind word goes further than most passengers will ever know.” You can practice it from the moment you step through the plane’s door: Smile and say hello to the cabin crew—it’s really that easy.

 

Be Ready

 

Have you been behind that passenger who boards the plane, finds his seat, and then blocks the aisle arranging everything he needs—laptop, cell phone, headphones, pillow—while everyone behind him is at a dead stop waiting to get past? Of course you have. Don’t be that person. You have plenty of time at the boarding gate to get those items out of your bag. Or, plan way ahead and bring a smaller, separate “seat sack” with those items and just keep that with you. That will help everyone get into their seats quicker, which will make your flight crew very happy.

 

Check That

 

If you aren’t physically capable of lifting your bag into the overhead bag, and you’re not traveling with someone who can help you, check your bag instead. There’s a good reason for this: Most airlines have strict rules prohibiting cabin crew from helping with bags because of injuries caused by repeated heavy lifting. So, even if your flight attendant wanted to help you, they aren’t allowed to. “It’s about safety for us,” explains one. “They don’t want us going on disability.” Also, on-time departures are a huge consideration for airlines, and the number one cause for delay is baggage. That’s why some carriers encourage you check your bag—for free—at the gate.

 

Seen but Not Heard

 

Ahh, the ubiquitous earphones. Flight attendants are happy that so many people keep themselves occupied during a flight. But when cabin crew members are coming down the aisle with food or drinks, they ask that you take at least one of your earbuds out so you can hear them. “I always ask ‘What can I get you’ and they say ‘What?’” one attendant laments. They get tired of repeating the beverage options over and over to passengers who don’t remove their earphones. If you don’t want service, at least signal that. “It’s common decency to let me know that you’ve seen me, and I’ll go to the next one. If you’re not acknowledging me, I’m moving on.”

 

Kids Will Be Kids

 

If you’re traveling with young ones, come armed to the teeth with everything you need to keep them happy and occupied—toys, puzzles, videos, and even the food they like, which may not be what’s available from the airline. “I’ve had people come on board without a diaper bag,” says one flight attendant. “We love your babies, but … ” says another. Members of the cabin crew are not babysitters, so please don’t ask them to hold your baby while you go to the bathroom.

 

Let Us Help You

 

“If you are a fearful flyer, or are feeling sick, say something,” notes one attendant. “We can help, and we want to help, and we can usually tell by looking at someone what’s going on, but it’s better if you inform us.” By law, attendants aren’t allowed to dispense any medications, even aspirin (so make sure you bring your own medication if you need it). But they can help get you more comfortable, and when necessary, help prevent your last meal from ending up in your lap, or your neighbors’.

 

Don’t Be a Space Invader

 

“Our galley is our ‘haven,’” says one flight attendant. “We go there to prepare for service, to talk, to gather ourselves, to just be. If you want to chat with us we are usually OK with that (we all like people, after all!) but keep it to 5-10 minutes, 15 at most. I have met the most wonderful and interesting people at 35,000 feet and that is one reason I love being a flight attendant. Just be mindful.” Others add that if you need to go to the galley to stretch on a long flight, please ask first—and keep it brief.

 

Police Yourselves

 

There’s no excuse for rude or boorish behavior on a plane, but unfortunately, it happens. When it does, says one flight attendant, you either ignore it or resolve it politely. “I can’t tell someone to put their seat forward, I just can’t. I get that people just need to be heard or sympathized with, but I just can’t get involved in that.” Neither can they force people to change seats because you want to sit next your wife/husband/friend. And if the child in back of you keeps kicking your feet, ask the parent—without being confrontational—to be aware of where those little legs are hitting because, no, your flight attendant can’t get involved in that, either

 

We Want Your Attention

 

It’s really tempting to tune out when attendants are giving the safety instructions, but the attendants’ first job is keeping us safe in the air, and they appreciate it when they have your eyes and ears. “On every flight, our position comes from a place of safety,” says one cabin crew member. “By company and FAA policy we are personally held accountable if we don’t follow FAA guidelines.” If you haven’t buckled your seatbelt, or your seat is reclining on takeoff, that could mean someone’s job. She says there are ghost riders onboard, unknown to them, whose job it is to make sure flight attendants are enforcing the rules.

 

Time to Go

 

Did you know that flight attendants are only paid for the time they work when the doors are locked? That’s why they appreciate it when you board quickly and why they’d like you to de-plane as quickly as possible. “I’ve had people who don’t want to wake their sleeping child,” says one flight attendant. “And I want to say, ‘Your kid is still asleep?’” Have your shoes on, your things gathered, and be ready to get up when it’s your turn. You have places to go, and so does your attendant.

 

https://www.smartertravel.com/2017/11/03/tips-be-nice-flight-attendant/

[paborn]

While I agree with Vinapu on the amounts, I'm confused as to how everyone is tipping. I might be doing it wrong - 28 trips I sure hope not. I'm American and tip 20 to 25% of the amount - minus any off fee - of the total presented. My drink slips accumulate in the little "bin" - I never tip per drink.

 

"When Swissair was still around in the last millennium, I did observe with some curiosity a few European travellers tipping the delightful cabin attendants who gladly accepted the tips."

 

This one, however, is hard to credit. EUROPEANS tipping on a SWISS airline????

 

And, Christian, I normally agree with you, in the main, but really the fact that they should be able to pay staff does nothing about the fact that we both know they don"t and won"t unless forced by law.

[kokopelli]

While I agree with Vinapu on the amounts, I'm confused as to how everyone is tipping. I might be doing it wrong - 28 trips I sure hope not. I'm American and tip 20 to 25% of the amount - minus any off fee - of the total presented. My drink slips accumulate in the little "bin" - I never tip per drink.

 

 

And, Christian, I normally agree with you, in the main, but really the fact that they should be able to pay staff does nothing about the fact that we both know they don"t and won"t unless forced by law.

paborn, 10 % in restaurants is max even for an American; for drinks 20 Baht is typical up to 40 Baht for a couple of drinks.

 

And yes, for Christian, you can't use the management as a reason not to tip; better to just say I don't tip and leave it at that.

[DivineMadman]

paborn, 10 % in restaurants is max even for an American; for drinks 20 Baht is typical up to 40 Baht for a couple of drinks.

 

And yes, for Christian, you can't use the management as a reason not to tip; better to just say I don't tip and leave it at that.

I'm more in this camp.  

 

I don't have a hard rule about 20 baht per drink, but I think that's probably closer to my typical drink tip.  At a nicer non-gay bar, probably a bit more.  At a beer bar I usually end up buying a drink for the guy(s) I'm chatting with, and probably give a 100-200 baht for someone who has been chatting with me for an hour with the usual shoulder or arm massages and casual harmless flirting.  (This in addition to buying them a drink, on which they receive a commission.)  At a gogo bar I have farang friends who are friends with the waiters, which is great, but for whatever the reason I tend to be friends with the guys on display rather than the waiters, so I tend to tip the waiters by rounding up to the nearest 100 but not less than 20 per drink for an hour or two of attentiveness during which I've probably had 2-3 drinks.  The gogo gods who sit with with me, or come by and chat for more than 5 minutes, or are best friends with my man-of-the-moment, get a minimum tip 100 and for ones that I'm friendly with or done something outside of work with, I always also buy drink.

 

At a nicer restaurant I probably tip minimum 10%, rounded up to the nearest 100 depending how fond I am of the waiter.  

 

I know some people prefer to hand the tip directly to the waiter on the outside of the bill folder with the custom that that's a tip for the individual and doesn't have to go into the tipping pool.  Personally I don't do that.  Tip goes into the pool.  So far it hasn't hurt my reputation with the waiters.

 

As to Christian's statement.  I hope it's just to get a rise out of people, otherwise it's one of the most sad things I've ever read on this forum.  Withholding the tip because you think the manager should pay the waiter more is of course just a nonsense cover for not wanting to part with the money.  You're not confronting the manager and telling him to pay the waiter more.  The conduct does nothing to change the situation.  It takes advantage of it.  Seems rather shameful to me.  I'ld have much much more respect for someone who says, "I really have to watch every baht, but I want to live a lifestyle that lets me buy drinks for myself at these bars, so to stretch my money I don't tip, and frankly I don't care enough about the waiter to part with the money."     

[paborn]

Divine...

 

I was waiting for you to respond. I'm learning to respect your opinion. Perhaps, I have been over tipping. I'll think about it and might adjust.  I do tend to use my credit card ( I want my miles! ) at better restaurants and give a cash tip to the waiter. It's something I do in the Dominican Republic as well.

 

I'm not sure why 10% would be maxed in a restaurant "even for an American" I don't think I will ever consider 10% anything other than my minimum.

 

At Toy Boys, I have always tipped the Captain who sits with me very well. He takes exceptionally good care of me. If, being a butterfly, I take a new guy and just say hello to the night before he takes 100 as well. He probably sits with me and gets a drink as well. 

 

The only ones who never get a penny are the mamsans who irritate me. You know the type.

[DivineMadman]

LOLs 

 

To borrow slightly from Wallis Simpson, you can never over-tip or be too thin.  It's your money so nothing wrong with acts of generosity and kindness.  Some people worry that it moves the market or expectations, but I think that's not true.  (I think that particular concern might be driven more by anxiety.)  I think the guys just have lucky days with extra tips and regular days and "sabai-sabai".

 

There are famously Thai temples where the murals show modern influences.  If I were designing such a mural I would have them use a couple of the worst mamasans as models for hell-demons. 

[kokopelli]

Divine...

 

 

I'm not sure why 10% would be maxed in a restaurant "even for an American" I don't think I will ever consider 10% anything other than my minimum.

 

paborn,  I am considered a generous tipper among my peers. Saying that , you are being most generous with tipping at a restaurant and they must love you. 555. But for me, when in America, 20 % is the max and in Thailand, 10 % is the average. But each to  his own.

[DivineMadman]

 

Divine...

 

 

I'm not sure why 10% would be maxed in a restaurant "even for an American" I don't think I will ever consider 10% anything other than my minimum.

 

paborn,  I am considered a generous tipper among my peers. Saying that , you are being most generous with tipping at a restaurant and they must love you. 555. But for me, when in America, 20 % is the max and in Thailand, 10 % is the average. But each to  his own.

 

In NYC and my little part of New England I tip 15% minimum and 20% for good or particularly good-looking service.  Sometimes I'll fudge the math by tipping on the tax, but only for exceptional service or exceptional good looks.  I remember when we weren't expected to tip on wine or the alcohol.  Alas, at least in my area that has gone by the wayside.

[paborn]

paborn,  I am considered a generous tipper among my peers. Saying that , you are being most generous with tipping at a restaurant and they must love you. 555. But for me, when in America, 20 % is the max and in Thailand, 10 % is the average. But each to  his own.

 

 

OK, I give up what is 555?

 

Also, 10% is the average makes more sense to me than to call it the "max" this I would agree to.