Tipping in the UK

[DRFC1879]

Reading in the council thread about tipping delivery drivers it got me thinking about tipping generally in the UK.

I hate the tipping culture in America but it's something you budget for when booking holidays and at least you know what level to expect. At home the rules are more relaxed which is good but I do sometimes wonder if I'm being a bit of a skinflint. Here's what I'd usually tip; what's the consensus?

Takeaway delivery driver £1-£1.50ish depending on rounding to a number that's easy for change.
Casual dining e.g. Nandos, Pizza Express etc. £2-£3
Tea rooms for lunch £1.50-£2
Barber £1
Decent restaurant 10-12% of total bill
Window cleaners £10 at Xmas
Barmaid with big jugs and nice eyes "get one for yerself, love..."

[alorotom]

DRFC1879 said:

Barber £1

Worst thinly veiled “Ive still got a barnet” post ever

[C0ffin D0dger]

DRFC1879 said:

Takeaway delivery driver £1-£1.50ish depending on rounding to a number that's easy for change.
Casual dining e.g. Nandos, Pizza Express etc. £2-£3
Tea rooms for lunch £1.50-£2
Barber £1
Decent restaurant 10-12% of total bill
Window cleaners £10 at Xmas
Barmaid with big jugs and nice eyes "get one for yerself, love..."

Takeaway driver - feck all, always pay beforehand by card.
Casual dining - as little as possible, if it's a pub where I have to go to the bar to place my order then definitely nothing
Tea rooms, maybe some loose change if I have some.
Barber - cut my own hair, no tip.
Decent restaurant, yeah usually 10% though I'll tend to round up sometimes depending where it is e.g £46 food bill, pay £50.
Window cleaners - do my own.
Barmaids, yeah so long as the wife's not with me

I'm so tight I should be Scottish

[aka_kerrly]

DRFC1879 said:

. Here's what I'd usually tip; what's the consensus?

Takeaway delivery driver £1-£1.50ish depending on rounding to a number that's easy for change.
Casual dining e.g. Nandos, Pizza Express etc. £2-£3
Tea rooms for lunch £1.50-£2
Barber £1
Decent restaurant 10-12% of total bill
Window cleaners £10 at Xmas
Barmaid with big jugs and nice eyes "get one for yerself, love..."

Personally I hate the idea that tipping will become more common in the UK as I think it is nonsense and a way of employers taking the ps offering crap wages.

Out of those jobs you've listed all of them will be getting paid an hourly or salary rate which they agreed with their boss when they took the job so why should i have to top up their earnings further simply because they managed the task that they were employed to do.

[anonymous-user]

Not read all the reply but I reckon its mostly the people that name with crikeys that do most of it

[supercommuter]

I tip if the service is exceptional.

I am in the US a few times a year and it pisses me off tipping.

That said, I did have a chat to some of the bar maids where they explained that the 'tipped' positions have a lower basic minimum wage because the tips top up their salary. The prices in the bar do not reflect this at all...which i find odd.

[hyphen]

aka_kerrly said:

Personally I hate the idea that tipping will become more common in the UK as I think it is nonsense and a way of employers taking the ps offering crap wages.

Out of those jobs you've listed all of them will be getting paid an hourly or salary rate which they agreed with their boss when they took the job so why should i have to top up their earnings further simply because they managed the task that they were employed to do.

+1 Tip as little as possible.

My understanding is that the UK has a decent 'top up benefit' system, so people on low wage get more later, and even more if a family, so the wage they are getting isn't their income as a whole. Also the 'living wage' is becoming the norm.

Plus I have read in the news that a lot of eateries steal part/all of the tip for themselves and not give any to the staff.

I do tip when eating out if they have gone out their way though, or if kids have been a pain/made a massive mess they will need to clean. Not to delivery drivers yet, would only consider doing so if was terrible weather I had made them travel in but not done so yet.

Getting some easter eggs later for the childminders though, does that count?

Edited by hyphen on Wednesday 28th March 15:52

[trickywoo]

If I think someone is self employed e.g barber, window cleaner I don't tip because I feel they set their price which they are happy with.

I'll tip for food drink service unless its been dreadful.

I have tipped delivery drivers before but don't normally.

[Kneedragger95]

I think tipping is ridiculous unless I get exceptional service, then I'm more than happy to tip.

[hyphen]

The problem with tipping is, you then don't know if that waiter is an actually nice person, or faking it as begging for a tip.

I like to know where I stand with people! So would rather have rude french service than tipping as the norm

[peekay74]

I tend to only tip in restaurants but get very frustrated when ‘optional service charge’ is added for me. My understanding (could be wrong) that you are supposed to tip on the food element of your bill and get annoyed when % is applied to everything. If with a group of friends alcohol section could be £150 and food £200, so I would suggest £20 tip not the £35 or more restaurant will try to apply

[sc0tt]

peekay74 said:

I tend to only tip in restaurants but get very frustrated when ‘optional service charge’ is added for me. My understanding (could be wrong) that you are supposed to tip on the food element of your bill and get annoyed when % is applied to everything. If with a group of friends alcohol section could be £150 and food £200, so I would suggest £20 tip not the £35 or more restaurant will try to apply

Just tell them to take it off then pay the waiter cash. Thats what I do.

[Howard-]

DRFC1879 said:

Reading in the council thread about tipping delivery drivers it got me thinking about tipping generally in the UK.

I hate the tipping culture in America but it's something you budget for when booking holidays and at least you know what level to expect. At home the rules are more relaxed which is good but I do sometimes wonder if I'm being a bit of a skinflint. Here's what I'd usually tip; what's the consensus?

Takeaway delivery driver £1-£1.50ish depending on rounding to a number that's easy for change.
Casual dining e.g. Nandos, Pizza Express etc. £2-£3
Tea rooms for lunch £1.50-£2
Barber £1
Decent restaurant 10-12% of total bill
Window cleaners £10 at Xmas
Barmaid with big jugs and nice eyes "get one for yerself, love..."

I wouldn't tip in any of these situations, especially Nandos!

Kneedragger95 said:

I think tipping is ridiculous unless I get exceptional service, then I'm more than happy to tip.

Basically this. There's no need for it.

[StuTheGrouch]

peekay74 said:

I tend to only tip in restaurants but get very frustrated when ‘optional service charge’ is added for me. My understanding (could be wrong) that you are supposed to tip on the food element of your bill and get annoyed when % is applied to everything. If with a group of friends alcohol section could be £150 and food £200, so I would suggest £20 tip not the £35 or more restaurant will try to apply

If they add that to my bill I always ask for it to be removed. Then won't leave a tip at all.

Normally, I tip in restaurants (usually 10%). Nowhere else though.

[Usget]

10% in a restaurant is fair.

I *hate* the tipping culture in the US. Last year I got a bking off a bartender in a hotel for not tipping him after he lowered himself to the inconvenience of pulling me two pints, badly, in translucent plastic cups, and relieving me of $16 for the privilege. If I'd known it was such a chore I'd have pulled them myself.

[DRFC1879]

Wow... I don't know if I'm over-generous or you lot are a bunch of miserable fkers!

If you're getting a curry delivered and it comes to £19 would you really stand on your doorstep waiting for the driver to rummage around for a quid?!

Where do you draw the line? Waiting for 50p change from a taxi driver?

Having worked in pubs as a much younger man I know how good it feels to receive a small tip every now and then so maybe that's influenced my habits. All that said, I'll not be tipping the barber for many more years the way things are going.

[aka_kerrly]

[quote=DRFC1879

If you're getting a curry delivered and it comes to £19 would you really stand on your doorstep waiting for the driver to rummage around for a quid?!

:
[/quote]


I find there is a difference between ME deciding that i want someone to keep MY change and THEM expecting additional money on top of my bill.

[LosingGrip]

I'm a delivery driver for a supermarket. Some people tip us. I really don't get it. I don't tip when I get my shopping delivered.

Meal out? Nope, especially not Nandos! Pizza Hut they asked for a tip on the machine, it was self service for all but the starter.

Only place I do tip is the barber. They do a fantastic job, I used to hate getting my haircut, but I enjoy it now. Can have a laugh with them. It's only £2 (rounded up from £23 to £25).

Taxi drivers never do, even when I'm pissed. They charge enough as it is! Last few times I've got a taxi I've been able to claim it back anyway so don't think they'll be too pleased with me sticking a tip on the claim ha.

[AndStilliRise]

LosingGrip said:

I'm a delivery driver for a supermarket. Some people tip us. I really don't get it. I don't tip when I get my shopping delivered.

Meal out? Nope, especially not Nandos! Pizza Hut they asked for a tip on the machine, it was self service for all but the starter.

Only place I do tip is the barber. They do a fantastic job, I used to hate getting my haircut, but I enjoy it now. Can have a laugh with them. It's only £2 (rounded up from £23 to £25).

Taxi drivers never do, even when I'm pissed. They charge enough as it is! Last few times I've got a taxi I've been able to claim it back anyway so don't think they'll be too pleased with me sticking a tip on the claim ha.

£23 for a Barbara?

And no I don't tip. Ever. Unless I am with guys from work or something, then it is easier to agree.

[Gad-Westy]

Thinking about this, I realise that there is no logic whatsoever to the way I approach tipping. I tip in restaurants, typically 10% but this is pretty much irrelevant of quality of service offered. It's only if service has been really bad that I'll not do so. Take aways are all justeat paid by card so don't tip anymore. Taxis, I tend to round up, unless they're tw@ts. Haircut rounded up to a whole note. No logic behind any of it, just habit.

Must admit I hate tipping culture in general. There are plenty of lower paid jobs that nobody ever tips for as it's not ingrained in culture yet certain jobs it seems to be expected regardless of actual effort made.