A guide to tipping in India

dhans · Aug 21st, 2006, 13:10

What I really hate in the USA is when they allready add the tip to the bill 'because you foreigners dont uderstand the concept of tipping'....

For the rest, I'm always tempted to tip more in a cheap hotel then in an expensive one. If you pay a lot for the room, they should be able to pay their personnel.

Not rational...

Hans

blackbird · Aug 21st, 2006, 15:45

I hate the whole tipping business. Being British, it's foreign to my culture, I never even came across such things till I was well off enough to go to restaurants in my 20s. 10% seems to be acceptable in the UK and I apply that rule in restaurants in India too unless the service is abysmal (in which case I give nothing) or exceptional (when I'll give a lot more).

Away from restaurants, I still always find the whole thing awkward. In one hotel a Rs10 tip might make a porter ecstatic, in another you give him 30 and he follows you around all day demanding more. Trying to get the balance right between being reasonably generous considering our relative richness, without distorting the market (and thereby raising everyone's expectations) is not easy. I don't think the rich Americans are helping when they pay the same tips as they would back home.... ok it's great for that individual porter / taxiwallah, but as many Indians have told me, once someone gets silly money for something he will start trying to extract that from every customer, even Indians who genuinely can't afford it.

One question I'd like answered is: In India, do tips generally get shared out among the kitchen staff? I have been told that the waiter you hand the cash to will keep it all.

capt_mahajan · Aug 21st, 2006, 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackbird

I hate the whole tipping business. Being British, it's foreign to my culture, I never even came across such things till I was well off enough to go to restaurants in my 20s. 10% seems to be acceptable in the UK and I apply that rule in restaurants in India too unless the service is abysmal (in which case I give nothing) or exceptional (when I'll give a lot more)..

excellent. exactly what i do.

[/quote]
One question I'd like answered is: In India, do tips generally get shared out among the kitchen staff? I have been told that the waiter you hand the cash to will keep it all.[/quote]

varies. in many small resteraunts, the guy who gets it keeps it.

PeakXV · Aug 21st, 2006, 16:16

Whether a Scotsman/Dutchman tips to little or an American tips to much .... I think it all evens out in the end. I think most Indian travellers have had the experience when handing over what they thought was a reasonable tip to a taxi wallah ... only to have it handed back with a wry smile and semi-sarcastic comment. Most often, however, they are pleased with whatever extra you can offer and if they are not ... tough cookies to them.

johnrxx99 · Aug 21st, 2006, 17:03

Err, guys the questions was "what do I tip in India?"

All this crap about the political scene misses the point. Tips have ALWAYS been given, thus my quote when in Rome etc.

If foreigners (leaving aside rich locals who look at it differently imo) give large tips it is not good for their fellow travellers, period.

Rationally think about others a bit more, rather than either looking big cos it's cheap for pensioners to do so in India or you've just got too much money. There are plenty of charties in India that really need the money so give it to them, not someone who has a job and is providing a service they are paid for.

Sorry to rant but people can be so dumb.

PeakXV · Aug 21st, 2006, 17:13

In India there is such a broad range from the budget traveller to the business man who has $200.00 per diem travel/food expenses. You are never going to get an exact protocol for everybody to follow. If a taxi driver gets a business man in Mumbai to an important multi-billion dollar meeting through that traffic labyrinth that exists there ... then maybe he well deserves the $20.00 tip he receives. If the same taxi driver gets a backpacker to Victoria Station in the nic of time to catch the Flying Rani ... then he may will receive a Rps 20 tip .... and he should size the situation up .... respect it and take it for what it is!

hoshii2000 · Aug 21st, 2006, 18:29

I have lived in both New Zealand and Japan and I found it extremely refreshing not to have to worry about the tip. In Japan everything is expensive but the service is amazing!!!

Here in India is another situation. Sometimes you have to tip before you can even get the service!

Vasko · Aug 21st, 2006, 18:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

Giving tip for anything other than good service, in any part of the world is a daft idea. And who cares if the guys grumble as you leave? You probably won't be going back anyway!

I think what goes on in India is a bit different from what is understood as tipping in the West. Baksheesh, as I understand it is called, is more of a lubricant for things to go smoothly. So when you get to a hotel, for example, and plan on staying for a while, it's a good idea to give a fairly generous tips in the beginning. This way you will ensure that service will be good during your stay.

In this sense the difference is in whether you tip before or after a particular service. Of course different situations call for different kinds of cash splashing.

I don't much like the whole tipping thing, either, but in places like the US where waiters couldn't survive without it, it is a must. I kind of like the Japanese idea of tips being personal insults

Nick-H · Aug 21st, 2006, 18:53

I guess that, in among the hoo ha, the answer to how much people give is there in the posts.

I've said how much I give in restaurants. In hotels, for carrying the lugage, maybe 10Rs each guy.

The guy who pushes your trolley from the airport to the car will expect 50 or 100 --- but figure that he hasn't actually done any hard work, and give him 10.

Porters at railway stations: this is not a tip, it is a charge for proffesional services, and they will bargain very hard. If you want their services, you don't have much choice. They have a monopoly. Usually when we travel we only have a wheely bag each, and wheel it ourselves, but there are early-morning arrivals when we just want to do nothing except get in a cab or an auto.

Some hotels will have a no-tipping policy, and provide a box. This is certainly the most comfortable.

Taxi drivers for short trips will not expect a tip. Call taxis here in Chennai work to the meter or the charge for the plan. Give the guy Rs20 for lunch if it is meal time.

Tourist car drivers will expect a tip. 50 or maybe 100 for a full day?

Drivers will do what you ask: from fetching stuff from a shop to carrying your luggage upstairs. I think they deserve a tip for this. If they won't do this small things, then they definately don't deserve a tip!

Sama · Aug 21st, 2006, 20:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vasko

but in places like the US where waiters couldn't survive without it, it is a must. I kind of like the Japanese idea of tips being personal insults

Americans tip 15-20% in restaurants exactly because of what Vasko says -- servers can not live on what they get paid. Period. Most servers I know work 2 or 3 part-time jobs just to survive. and please don't start with the "then they should get paid more" because that does not happen, that is reality.

The fact of the matter is that in the US, there is a "minimum wage" that is mandated by the government that employers are required to pay their employees, but there are some industries that are EXEMPT from that law, restaurant workers and horticultural workers being two examples.

Personally I'm waiting for the day when yoga instructors get tips, considering that I'm providing a wonderful holistic service for mind, body, and spirit and furthering you along the path to enlightenment.....

9hanover · Aug 25th, 2006, 19:34

On our first visit to India we were told not to tip the housekeeping staff in the hotels (we did and on further visits continue to do so) Why was that?

PeakXV · Aug 25th, 2006, 19:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9hanover

On our first visit to India we were told not to tip the housekeeping staff in the hotels (we did and on further visits continue to do so) Why was that?

Probably some kind soul who wanted to save you some pocket change!

Other than that ... have never heard of don't and tip in the same sentence in India!

snowcrab · Aug 26th, 2006, 14:29

There are places in India where big spenders have created big expectations in Indian service providers. That is annoying. When people like waiters sneer at 2 to 5rs tips, I know I'm in the wrong place. Unfortunately, the cancer seems to be spreading.

Nick-H · Aug 26th, 2006, 14:35

You are right.

A sneer never hurt anybody: it just means you don't go back there again!

mumbaikaar · Aug 26th, 2006, 14:43

In mumbai tip
If you like the service
If the service was prompt
If the waiter smile and was real courteous
If you feel like
The doorman,waiter,cook.

Dont tip
The taxi ,rickshaw or any transport service you use
Dont tip any other place except eating location or where you stay
Dont tip the cops ! nor the customs officer

Aug 21st, 2006, 13:10	#31
dhans Uru Buru member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,842	What I really hate in the USA is when they allready add the tip to the bill 'because you foreigners dont uderstand the concept of tipping'.... For the rest, I'm always tempted to tip more in a cheap hotel then in an expensive one. If you pay a lot for the room, they should be able to pay their personnel. Not rational... Hans __________________ Tips for trips to India with (young) children: India with kids Stories about our travels in India: Journal

Aug 21st, 2006, 16:16	#34
PeakXV Naan.tering Nabob Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Abode of Glooscap Posts: 5,881	Whether a Scotsman/Dutchman tips to little or an American tips to much .... I think it all evens out in the end. I think most Indian travellers have had the experience when handing over what they thought was a reasonable tip to a taxi wallah ... only to have it handed back with a wry smile and semi-sarcastic comment. Most often, however, they are pleased with whatever extra you can offer and if they are not ... tough cookies to them. __________________ What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

Aug 26th, 2006, 14:43	#45
mumbaikaar Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 12	In mumbai tip If you like the service If the service was prompt If the waiter smile and was real courteous If you feel like The doorman,waiter,cook. Dont tip The taxi ,rickshaw or any transport service you use Dont tip any other place except eating location or where you stay Dont tip the cops ! nor the customs officer __________________ Everything you will ever need to know about India and Mumbai

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Aug 21st, 2006, 15:45	#32
blackbird Jai Maa Tarini Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bristol, England Posts: 392	I hate the whole tipping business. Being British, it's foreign to my culture, I never even came across such things till I was well off enough to go to restaurants in my 20s. 10% seems to be acceptable in the UK and I apply that rule in restaurants in India too unless the service is abysmal (in which case I give nothing) or exceptional (when I'll give a lot more). Away from restaurants, I still always find the whole thing awkward. In one hotel a Rs10 tip might make a porter ecstatic, in another you give him 30 and he follows you around all day demanding more. Trying to get the balance right between being reasonably generous considering our relative richness, without distorting the market (and thereby raising everyone's expectations) is not easy. I don't think the rich Americans are helping when they pay the same tips as they would back home.... ok it's great for that individual porter / taxiwallah, but as many Indians have told me, once someone gets silly money for something he will start trying to extract that from every customer, even Indians who genuinely can't afford it. One question I'd like answered is: In India, do tips generally get shared out among the kitchen staff? I have been told that the waiter you hand the cash to will keep it all.

Aug 21st, 2006, 17:03	#35
johnrxx99 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK Posts: 110	Err, guys the questions was "what do I tip in India?" All this crap about the political scene misses the point. Tips have ALWAYS been given, thus my quote when in Rome etc. If foreigners (leaving aside rich locals who look at it differently imo) give large tips it is not good for their fellow travellers, period. Rationally think about others a bit more, rather than either looking big cos it's cheap for pensioners to do so in India or you've just got too much money. There are plenty of charties in India that really need the money so give it to them, not someone who has a job and is providing a service they are paid for. Sorry to rant but people can be so dumb.

Aug 21st, 2006, 17:13	#36
PeakXV Naan.tering Nabob Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Abode of Glooscap Posts: 5,881	In India there is such a broad range from the budget traveller to the business man who has $200.00 per diem travel/food expenses. You are never going to get an exact protocol for everybody to follow. If a taxi driver gets a business man in Mumbai to an important multi-billion dollar meeting through that traffic labyrinth that exists there ... then maybe he well deserves the $20.00 tip he receives. If the same taxi driver gets a backpacker to Victoria Station in the nic of time to catch the Flying Rani ... then he may will receive a Rps 20 tip .... and he should size the situation up .... respect it and take it for what it is!

Aug 21st, 2006, 18:29	#37
hoshii2000 Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 87	I have lived in both New Zealand and Japan and I found it extremely refreshing not to have to worry about the tip. In Japan everything is expensive but the service is amazing!!! Here in India is another situation. Sometimes you have to tip before you can even get the service!

Aug 21st, 2006, 18:53	#39
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,213	I guess that, in among the hoo ha, the answer to how much people give is there in the posts. I've said how much I give in restaurants. In hotels, for carrying the lugage, maybe 10Rs each guy. The guy who pushes your trolley from the airport to the car will expect 50 or 100 --- but figure that he hasn't actually done any hard work, and give him 10. Porters at railway stations: this is not a tip, it is a charge for proffesional services, and they will bargain very hard. If you want their services, you don't have much choice. They have a monopoly. Usually when we travel we only have a wheely bag each, and wheel it ourselves, but there are early-morning arrivals when we just want to do nothing except get in a cab or an auto. Some hotels will have a no-tipping policy, and provide a box. This is certainly the most comfortable. Taxi drivers for short trips will not expect a tip. Call taxis here in Chennai work to the meter or the charge for the plan. Give the guy Rs20 for lunch if it is meal time. Tourist car drivers will expect a tip. 50 or maybe 100 for a full day? Drivers will do what you ask: from fetching stuff from a shop to carrying your luggage upstairs. I think they deserve a tip for this. If they won't do this small things, then they definately don't deserve a tip!

Aug 25th, 2006, 19:34	#41
9hanover Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: UK Posts: 91	On our first visit to India we were told not to tip the housekeeping staff in the hotels (we did and on further visits continue to do so) Why was that?

Aug 26th, 2006, 14:29	#43
snowcrab Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: BC Can Posts: 1,134	There are places in India where big spenders have created big expectations in Indian service providers. That is annoying. When people like waiters sneer at 2 to 5rs tips, I know I'm in the wrong place. Unfortunately, the cancer seems to be spreading.

Aug 26th, 2006, 14:35	#44
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,213	You are right. A sneer never hurt anybody: it just means you don't go back there again!