Tipping etiquette

There are 17 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 3,436 times. The latest Post () was by UK Man.

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    We don't have tips in Italy but I got to term with the art of tipping. I leave 10% and that's it.

    Still, I get quite pissed when there is cover charge, plus tipping, plus trapito.


    But my question for today is about the proper manner to tip.


    I got into an argument with my husband a few years ago, after we had recently moved here, because he said I was misleading the waiter into huge tips.

    What happened is that whenever the waiter approached our table, I said 'thank you', whether it was to take our orders, bring the beverages, taking away empty dishes or serving the bill.

    Since I said 'thank you' also when the waiter was leaving the table with the money, my husband claimed that my saying 'thank you' was understood as 'no change', i.e. keep everything. He got mad at me several times saying that they understood I was leaving hundreds of pesos in tip. Once he run away from the restaurant in full rage, while I remained sat to wait for the change. Which arrived.


    Did the waiter took pity on me because he understood that, as a foreigner, I was saying 'thank you' out of politeness and not to say that he could keep the change?


    Or is my husband wrong on this?

    I tip everyone in a service industry, and I’m pretty sure they expect tips.


    On the other hand, I’ve seen people tip such little amounts, or not at all, here, that I think others on the forum could give you a better picture.

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    Quote from UK Man

    I never tip my hairdresser and my wife never tips hers either. However they are also the owners which makes the decision not to tip easier.

    If they are employees and you're happy with them then it's up to you.

    That raises another question. In a restaurant, suppose it’s a family business... do you tip?




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    I wouldn't unless the waiter was an outsider. To be honest tipping isn't such a big deal here as it is in other countries. For instance we never tip taxi drivers here or in Buenos Aires and they don't seem to expect it either.

    That’s for sure. They are aggressive to say the least. Once a cabbie, thinking we wouldn’t notice, took us on a roundabout route. Irritated, we gave him only a 15% tip. He scratched off from the curb almost before we were out of the taxi.

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    Quote from UK Man

    I wouldn't unless the waiter was an outsider. To be honest tipping isn't such a big deal here as it is in other countries. For instance we never tip taxi drivers here or in Buenos Aires and they don't seem to expect it either.

    I don't tip, but maybe I won't ask for change, Let's say the ride is 140 and I give 150, I said 'we're good like this' or something like this. They are always super nice even if you are tipping an insignificant amount.

    I guess not coming from a tipping culture, if someone tipped me little money, I wouldn't appreciate it because it wouldn't make any difference. I guess it is just a different approach...


    There are freelancing platforms that have introduced tipping. In Translation, there is no tip. But Americans are so used to it that I suppose some translator is making 15% more thanks to this 'add tip' option on these platforms. I am not on them and I was quite offended to see there was a tipping option because translation, web design, video editing, copywriting and the like used to be professional jobs. Letting people tip on those, it makes them look unskilled jobs.

    Quote from GlasgowJohn

    I will tip my barber if he is an employee - normally 20 pesos


    I also tip the guys in the service station / 10-20 pesos if they clean the windscreen properly

    We were at the YPF petrol station the other day getting filled up and the attendant left the pump in the tank then buggered off to do something else. The automatic cut off didn't work and petrol started spewing out everywhere. They took 2 litres off the bill....he didn't get a tip.

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    Quote from UK Man

    We were at the YPF petrol station the other day getting filled up and the attendant left the pump in the tank then buggered off to do something else. The automatic cut off didn't work and petrol started spewing out everywhere. They took 2 litres off the bill....he didn't get a tip.

    They do enjoy throwing petrol all over the place, don't they?

    When they fill my bike tank, they shake the nozzle to make sure there's no fuel in it, where it goes all over the floor, just so that it doesn't spill onto the bike. Good intentions yes, but not exactly very safe.

    I find it much simpler to fill the tank myself, but of course you can't do that here, or they go bonkers.

    Mind you, the best attended filling stations are with the cute girls dressed in those tight outfits, just to attract the male customers. Haven't seen those for a while.

    Never seen a female petrol pump attendant never mind one dressed in a tight outfit....8)


    Best of it was the pump attendant blamed my wife for not parking closer to the pump and that was why the pump nozzle was sitting at an angle. :rolleyes:

    Quote from UK Man

    Never seen a female petrol pump attendant never mind one dressed in a tight outfit....8)


    Best of it was the pump attendant blamed my wife for not parking closer to the pump and that was why the pump nozzle was sitting at an angle. :rolleyes:

    There are a couple on my regular route ...but I am not allowed to fill up there....;(;(;(