Tippping in Thailand

[Guest Astrrro]

Re massage, the appropriate tip for a non-happy ending massage for a one hour massage is 50 baht. The girls are quite disapointed with a 20 baht tip after one hour of hard work.

[Guest]

Re massage, the appropriate tip for a non-happy ending massage for a one hour massage is 50 baht. The girls are quite disapointed with a 20 baht tip after one hour of hard work.

 

Not as disappointed as I would be had a girl been allocated to do my massage.

[Guest Astrrro]

My teerak, who is a ladyboy, works in a shop that is mostly GG's (genetic girls) near Walking Street. So I'm relaying the info she (the pronoun she prefers) provides.

 

Tipping protocal may be different at Day/Night boy massage shops or at Dongtan Beach.

 

Btw, a good deal for massage is Sai Massage, on Soi VC near Sunee. 100 baht for a Thai or foot massage. All girls, though there might be one ladyboy.

[Guest taylorsquare]

i was at a outside bar some time ago in jomtiem,the boy that worked there as a waiter and who i later offed ,told me to tip wait ers directly as it seems the farang owner pocketed most of it himself.

I also do not like tipping laundry shops even when they ask for a tip.

 

Unfortanetely its becoming expected in pattaya to tip everyone.

i do tip bbuses ,paying 20b mostly for a trip,not that you get any thanks for it.

 

Do you tip the barber ?

Actually i was reading Astros comment about tipping on massage,i remeber last year having a massage on the way to jomtiem i paid the girl 200b massage fee plus 50b but she wasnt happy,so i had to give her another 50b.

[Guest]

i remeber last year having a massage on the way to jomtiem i paid the girl 200b massage fee plus 50b but she wasnt happy,so i had to give her another 50b.

 

Giving in to such requests encourages people to ask for more every time, even if the tip is OK in the first place. She might ask for more when the next customer tips 500 baht. They learn there is nothing to lose by asking for more. OK some customers might never come back because of this, but the worker has no way of knowing that's why.

 

I prefer to decide on a fair tip & stick to that figure.

 

I don't agree with tipping barbers & so on, in the UK or Thailand.

Most of East Asia has no history of tipping. Society makes arbitrary decisions about who gets tips.

Taxi driver -frequently; Bus driver never.

Hotel porter -always; Bin man -never;

 

In my experience of bar boys, about 10~20% ask for more even if you have already given them above average tips (e.g. 1200 short time in Pattaya). Most seem grateful for 1000.

[Gaybutton]

she wasnt happy,so i had to give her another 50b.

I don't know where you are getting some of your ideas from, but you don't have to tip anything. Nobody can force you to leave a tip. And I sure as hell wouldn't give more of a tip to someone just because he "wasn't happy." I'll be the one who decides how much of a tip I'll give. Not happy with my tip? Tough shit! If you don't like what I gave you, give it back.

 

I agree with most of what z909 is saying with regard to who he tips and how much. I will not, however, give a bar boy more of a tip, especially if I tipped above the standard in the first place. I also won't under-tip a bar boy, even if he's a dud, unless a very unusual circumstance warrants it. The only exception I can think of that I would make to that is if I have asked for something "special" and he agreed, but then won't do what he agreed to do.

 

Taylorsquare, I get the impression that you are easily intimidated. Stop that! Don't let unscrupulous people walk all over you.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Regarding tipping barbers: in the US you should tip the barber, but not if he is the owner of the shop, who has the first chair coming in the door. My grandfather who owned his shop and my brother were barbers and that is what they told me.

 

If I gave a 50 baht tip and was asked for more, I would ask for the 50 baht back and then put it in my pocket and walk out.

[Guest Astrrro]

I generally tip well but search for bargains to compensate.

 

For barbers, I tip 20 baht for my 60 baht haircut which is 33%.

 

My 50 baht tip for the 100 baht massage is 50%.

 

I saw 50 baht somewhere in Pattaya but forget where. Anyone know of a place for less than 60 baht? I get a crew cut so one barber is as good as the next.

[Gaybutton]

I saw 50 baht somewhere in Pattaya but forget where. Anyone know of a place for less than 60 baht? I get a crew cut so one barber is as good as the next.

If you get away from the areas where there are loads of farang, the going price is often 50 baht. Just 4 doors down from me a Thai woman converted the front of her house into a barber shop. I always get my hair cut at her place. She's as good as any barber in town. Her fee is 50 baht. Come to think of it, I'm about due for a haircut. I'll be seeing her very soon.

[Guest]

I agree with most of what z909 is saying with regard to who he tips and how much. I will not, however, give a bar boy more of a tip, especially if I tipped above the standard in the first place.

 

We're in agreement on that too!!! They sometimes ASK for more, but I didn't say I pay it!

 

In fact I make a point of refusing requests for further money & RECOMMEND EVERYONE ELSE DOES THE SAME.

 

For the following reasons:

1 If we give in, it will become standard practice to ask for more.

2 My tips are normally average (or even a little above average) unless the service is woeful. If he wants anything above that level, the HE should have negotiated it in advance.

[Bob]

In fact I make a point of refusing requests for further money & RECOMMEND EVERYONE ELSE DOES THE SAME.

 

For the following reasons:

1 If we give in, it will become standard practice to ask for more.

 

By custom and upbringing, I've learned to tip and I suppose I continue to do it (at a level I choose) because of that, because financially I'm able to do it, because usually I feel that what I'm getting is a pretty damned good bargain, and maybe even because I sometimes believe that the person getting the tip needs the money more than I do. And, whether it's the hotel maid or a regular restaurant I eat at, I always seem to get the feeling they appreciate it (and, oftentimes, I get added politeness and service in exchange).

 

But, to each his own. What I don't cotton to (and I don't think z909 is exactly saying that) is the sometimes ex-pat mantra that everybody ought to do "X" so that prices stay low for the rest of us. Hey, like GB said, tip if you want to, don't if you don't want to. I can understand a guy asking what the standard tip would be (or if even one is expected) but, in my view, nobody ought to concern themselves with those that might be tipping more than somebody else thinks is appropriate.

[Guest Astrrro]

 

 

But, to each his own.

 

Exactly. It seems on almost every Thai forum both the Cheap Charlies and the LDOPs seem to think that their way is the only way. Lots of intolerance out there.

[Guest]

Exactly. It seems on almost every Thai forum both the Cheap Charlies and the LDOPs seem to think that their way is the only way. Lots of intolerance out there.

 

Forums are for sharing opinions & debating. Having a clear opinion on a point does not equate with intolerance.

I have made a recommendation & can tolerate you choosing to ignore it. You are not dealing with the Taliban here.

 

As for tipping, my "refuse requests for more" comment is aimed at cases where you have paid a reasonable tip to a rent boy AND HE STILL ASKS FOR MORE, even though the tip might have been above average in the first place.

That's not cheap, it's just recognising people are trying their luck and acting accordingly.

 

Of course, feel free to ignore my suggestion & pay the highest tips to those who ask for more. Even if you have paid 1500 or 2000 short time already.

Why should the nice ones who smile & politely accept your generous tip get the same as those who always want more?

[Guest Astrrro]

Forums are for sharing opinions & debating. Having a clear opinion on a point does not equate with intolerance.

 

I agree 100% and just want to make clear that in no way was I referring to you z909 or anyone on this thread for that matter.

 

I was talking about other forums and not just in regard to tipping the boys but bellringing and things of that nature. Somehow, this issue seems to inflame people and it seems that the clear opinions often cross the line especially in loosely moderated forums.

 

My opinion is that if someone wants to be frugal and live within his means that's his business. And it's also just fine if someone wants to live it up and spend 10 times what I spend on a typical night as it's his money.

[Guest]

Astrro, I understand your point completely.

 

Ultimately, you I & all the other members will tip as we see appropriate.

 

I do get tired of the constant grumbling about prices elsewhere, but equally a certain level of debate can allow people to determine what the going rate is. Also some of us will be fairly clear about our recommendations.

 

I just get the impression some rent boys ask for more every time, whether the tip is 1000, 1200, 1500 or more.

Sometimes the punter pays up.

The rest of the time the rent boy still wants repeat business with the punter.

 

 

Outside of prostitution, there are significant anomalies about which professions might accept tips in Western culture.

In the west, I totally fail to see why certain professions on the minimum wage deserve almost AUTOMATIC tips and others doing very similar jobs on the same salary never get tips.

I do generally tip in restaurants & one or two other cases, but not if the food or service is below par. People don't tip the staff at Tescos for good service. We don't tip at self service restaurants, but the kitchen staff do the same job as at restaurants where tips may be shared amongst the staff.

 

I prefer the traditional Asian culture of the service being in the price & no tips, to the American one where I gather you are expected to tip even after very ordinary restaurant service.

 

Ultimately that very respectable no-sex massage shop owner may well keep putting his prices up, when he sees the farang customer keep paying tips equivalent to 10 hours Thai salary for a 1 hour massage.

[Bob]

In the west, I totally fail to see why certain professions on the minimum wage deserve almost AUTOMATIC tips and others doing very similar jobs on the same salary never get tips.

 

Well, perhaps it's because you lack some information about how the minimum wage system works in some places. In my home state of Michigan, for example only (I don't know how other states deal with it), the minimum wage is set far lower for traditionally "tipped employees" (restaurant waiters, for sure)but the tips and wages are supposed to meet the minimum wage standards. For specific example, the current minimum wage in Michigan is $7.40; however, the minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.65 (just a bit lower, you see). Every pay period, both the employer and employee are required to sign a statement regarding the tips received so the government can make sure the waiter is making at least the full minimum wage.

 

Why did this start? Heck if I know but it's been that way (tipped employees being paid less by the employers) all of my life. I've always understood they got paid diddley so never objected to providing the tips - I've always considered it a part of the cost of going to a restaurant.

[Gaybutton]

I've always understood they got paid diddley so never objected to providing the tips - I've always considered it a part of the cost of going to a restaurant.

Bob, now I know you know better than to compare the way things work in the USA to the way things work in Thailand. That's just like the old apples and oranges cliche. Certainly tipping is appropriate in Thai restaurants, but the amounts are different and unless a 'service charge' is included in the bill, percentage has nothing to do with the expected tip amounts.

 

I think z909 is mistaken when he says, "I prefer the traditional Asian culture of the service being in the price & no tips . . ." I don't know where he is getting that idea from, but that definitely has not been my experience.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I disagree that one should tip less if the food it not good, but the service is. The server has no control over the quality of the food, only the quality of their service and that is what I base my tip on.

[Bob]

Bob, now I know you know better than to compare the way things work in the USA to the way things work in Thailand.

 

 

You're right, GB - but I was responding to his comment where he was mentioned that he didn't understand why in the west those practices occurred. We've talked about the topic a bit in the thread as it's really the reason a lot of falang come here with the understanding that it's proper (or even expected) to tip some employees.

 

Hey, GB, if you think of it at the time, wonder if you could ask a Pattaya restaurant owner or two what is (if anything) the minimum wage in Thailand and what they typically pay either a restaurant waiter (and, maybe, versus the cook). Would be interesting to find out (I'm even curious to know if the minimum wage is different for a construction worker, let's say, versus a restaurant waiter). I really don't know any restaurant owners up here but I'll ask if/when I get the chance. Just curious.

[Guest fountainhall]

I think z909 is mistaken when he says, "I prefer the traditional Asian culture of the service being in the price & no tips . . ." I don't know where he is getting that idea from, but that definitely has not been my experience.

 

It is certainly true in Japan. When I made my first visit there 3 decades ago, I tried to give the bellboy a small tip. He waved his hands and stepped back, almost ashamed to be offered something for just doing his job. The same is true today in that country. Even taxi drivers will give you the exact change and not accept a tip. I remember it also used to be like that in South Korea, but have not been there for many years. It seems to me that westerners introduced the idea of tipping to Asia, and it is in countries most influenced by the west that tipping has become much more expected.

 

wonder if you could ask a Pattaya restaurant owner or two what is (if anything) the minimum wage in Thailand and what they typically pay either a restaurant waiter (and, maybe, versus the cook). Would be interesting to find out (I'm even curious to know if the minimum wage is different for a construction worker, let's say, versus a restaurant waiter)

 

I think I am right in saying the minimum wage was recently raised and hovers around Bt. 200 per day. I assume that this is supposed to apply to all wage earners, but have no idea if it is implemented. I wonder also if there is a different rate for men and women. I notice in many of the restaurants I frequent that there are now far more waitresses than waiters. My assumption is that the girls get paid less.

[Guest]

Well, perhaps it's because you lack some information about how the minimum wage system works in some places. In my home state of Michigan, for example only (I don't know how other states deal with it), the minimum wage is set far lower for traditionally "tipped employees" (restaurant waiters, for sure)but the tips and wages are supposed to meet the minimum wage standards. For specific example, the current minimum wage in Michigan is $7.40; however, the minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.65 (just a bit lower, you see).

 

That's Michigan. I'm sure you might find one or two other places like that.

In the UK we have a minimum wage of £5.80 an hour, which applies equally to people who may expect to earn tips and those who don't.

So why tip restaurant staff & not those at Tesco?

 

In general I don't accept low wages as the sole justification for paying tips to people who get a wage, as there are often other people earning the same money & not getting tips.

 

There needs to be a quality of service factor.

 

 

Also, if you look into it, you will find well known guidebooks & other sources indicating no tips or very minimal tipping is normal in a few Asian countries. Then if you have the opportunity to live there, observe the locals.

 

I don't want to claim this is normal everywhere, but equally it is wrong to assume what goes in Michigan goes in the rest of the world. Why assume the American way is right?

 

In Japan, good service is in the price & the consumer doesn't ever have to consider tipping.

[Gaybutton]

There needs to be a quality of service factor.

I fully agree with that statement. When I tip, I'm tipping because the service was good. I'm not really thinking about how much money the recipient of the tip makes. Quite frankly, that's not my problem. I believe a tip should be earned, not simply given automatically. That aspect of it is my major objection to service charges added to bills. I want to tip because I liked the service and it makes me feel good to tip for it. I've never understood the logic behind service charges. Personally, instead of a service charge I'd rather simply see a higher price and a notification that tipping is not necessary.

 

"They make their money the old fashioned way. They earn it."

- John Houseman, Smith-Barney commercial

[Bob]

I'm taking another language class at CMU and had the opportunity to chat with the teacher (35-year-old-Thai man) about his tipping habits. The first thing he said, which seemed a bit like what's being said above, is that he tips according to the quality of service (he treats it somewhat like a reward). It also depends on the quality of the restaurant (he doesn't leave a tip at the gao man gai place when he eats breakfast or lunch) and the amount of the bill. If it's a fancy restaurant, he said he and his friends typically leave about 10%. Less fancy, maybe 20 baht or just the coin change (especially if the service was lousy).

 

He also tips more if he knows the person well - whether the restaurant owner, waiter, etc. He mentioned that he pays more than he otherwise would to his barber but that's because he's known him for so long. He also mentioned that some professions here do expect tips on occasion (waiters in restaurants, hotel people, etc.) as they are used to it. He said the practice is growing and opined that its because the Thais often adopt practices from the West.

 

So, motivation-wise, not too different than some of us.

 

I didn't get a chance to ask him or anyone yet about minimum-wage, payments to male versus female reataurant staff, etc. Maybe I will if I get a chance but I'm not sure he'd know (although he seems rather street saavy to me).

 

[As to some of Z's comments, look, I added the comments about where the practice comes from at least in the US as you seemed to lack an understanding as to how our minimum wage system works or why at least those of us from the US typically always tipped restaurant workers. And, no, I didn't say or suggest that Michigan's or America's method is good, right, or in-between (perhaps a closer reading of what someone posts will avoid comments like this). We all come to Thailand with our own habits and customs and nobody ought to care what somebody else pays or doesn't pay. Just do your own thing and skip worrying about how what others pay will affect your budget.]