Quote:
Originally Posted by just a punk
The best service I have ever seen was in Moscow (compared to the States, EU, etc). In a place where I now live, leaving a tip can be seen as an insult to the owner of the restaurant. For real  |
not too long ago someone I know from around adult mentioned that tipping in Japan is considered insulting
I was really interested by this so did some reading and yeps, he was right
it probably has to do with the fact that people who work in service in Japan are paid this crazy thing called a living wage
there, if one feels compelled to tip, it must be clean, crisp bills (as in not crumpled notes stuffed in a wallet or pocket), presented in an envelope, with a slight bow to show gratitude and respect
apparently an evening with a geisha is ok for tipping, but same deal. brand new notes, in an envelope, with a bow. presented at the end of the evening
very foreign concept to me but a fascinating concept that preserves dignity and humanity
tipping is def rooted in culture (and again, what people in service are actually paid as base wages/salary)
in the West I always get excellent service, probs cuz I'm nice to service workers and recognize they rely on tips to pay the bills. crumpled bills out of my pocket or not. please and thank you's also go a long way to preserving dignity for those who need those tips to maintain a living wage, without them feeling like shit for needing them
really interesting topic, how much the practice varies from country to country. where I'm at in a very small town most local peeps don't tip cuz they can't afford it. I can, it's the decent thing to do
I NEVER added the tip to the bill though back in NA. no fucking way the owner of the biz gets a cut for work they didn't do. cash out of pocket at the table
but yeah, def no universal global standard. for those who travel extensively probs good to read up on local custom beforehand. you being an excellent case in point on that. props for rolling with local custom