Jim Eagles: Here's a tip - we don't

First the good news. New Zealanders are not alone in fighting the horrors of baksheesh: in some other places tipping is not the norm and at least a few people in tipping countries detest its insidious spread into all corners of the economy.

Now, the bad news. We're probably fighting a losing battle: tipping is increasingly common even in the heartland of grudging gratuities, and Kiwis' reluctance to tip means service staff overseas don't like dealing with us.

Most travellers seem to agree that the need to hand out tips, and confusion about when and how much, is one of the least-pleasant aspects of travelling.

Herald Travel reader Bruce Carley sums it up: "I hate the concept and avoid tipping like the plague."

But some reckon we should just put our hands in our pockets and pay up.

Peter Kelly comments, "Personnel providing services where tipping is expected receive minimal or no recompense from their employers and their income is dependent on gratuities. This is an established practice in tipping countries and should be respected. Kiwis have a bad reputation abroad for their reluctance to tip. Get real, Jim."

And a former employee in the local hospitality industry, Matt O'Sullivan, reckons poor rates of pay and lack of tipping, "contribute to the low standard of service in New Zealand's hospitality industry. When a guest gave anyone $20 or higher we told all the front-office staff to look after them."

Those are reasonable points. If service staff are not paid, and no service fee is included in the charge, then expecting a tip is fair enough. And if people are badly paid and it becomes clear that you aren't going to tip, you can't be too surprised if you don't get good service.

But why should you have to tip in an establishment which already adds a service charge to the bill?

As John Allen puts it, "We had a meal in London and were quite relieved to see a 20 per cent service charge added to the bill because it meant we didn't have to bother. But at the end of the meal the waiter practically stuck his hand into my face to make it clear he expected a handout as well. I gave him one to avoid a fuss but I wish I hadn't."

Why is it acceptable to bribe someone to break the rules? Sel Hunter describes queuing outside a theatre in Las Vegas where late arrivals "walked past us, slipped money to the doorman and were escorted in immediately".

Why should you be expected to pay for a service you do not want?

Vivienne Allen recalls arriving in Kuala Lumpur late one night "and craving for sleep" when a porter "insisted on carrying our bags, which we prefer to do ourselves, and then stood in the room fiddling with the TV. Finally we realised what he was after and rummaged around for some change. He was so disgusted with our offer he threw it back at us."

Why, for that matter, should you be expected to reward poor service?

Anna Murphy says, "I can recall having a meal in a New York restaurant and having diabolical service, so bad that our bottle of wine arrived with the dessert, and as a result we did not leave a tip. The waiter had the audacity to run after us down the street demanding a tip. Needless to say he did not get one."

Indeed, it could be argued that it's better for all concerned if you don't reward poor service. Tania Woodbury tells of a 21-day trip through the United States where the driver-guide was so hopeless and his heavy hints were ignored. "He must have been disappointed but I'm sure it made him realise the service he provided was not up to scratch and perhaps next time he will change the way he does things. If that is the case I guess our lack of generosity will benefit others. A tip given regardless would have had the opposite effect."

Sadly, though, the trend appears to be the other way. John Fergusson, a New Zealander living in the US, says it took him some time to get used to tipping, and adds, "the problem is that it has spread. The garbage collector has made it rather plain that if I don't want to replace my garbage can every year I need to remember him.

"The hairdresser, who still makes three times the average wage, still wants her tip. She will remember. The pizza delivery guy ... fair enough. The bellhop. Any service person who comes to your house. The list goes on and on and it makes no difference to the service you get.

"I liked the fact that it was not expected in New Zealand and will be unimpressed if it does become expected. It has little bearing on service and makes people greedy."

Danielle Murray says that "even those of us who grew up in the culture don't know the rules because they change every day. When you tip at the hairdressers in North America it used to be only for staff. Now the owner expects to be tipped, too! I would really hate to see it become part of Kiwi culture."

In fact a number of people who have lived in a tipping culture express the hope that New Zealand will not succumb.

Joan Earl-Daniels describes arriving in New Zealand 40 years ago and mistakenly tipping the taxi driver. "We had only gone a few steps when something came whizzing through the air. We looked back at the taxi and saw the driver was giving us a none-too-polite signal and muttering something about Poms. "My partner bent down and picked up the coin and said, 'I think I'm going to like this place'."

Aussie Robert Virgin sent a message from Canberra agreeing: "We Antipodeans should not allow ourselves to be intimidated into throwing money at service employees just because we think it is expected."

Vernon Pribble, who emigrated to New Zealand 20 years ago from the US, where he worked as bellhop, busboy and waiter, says, "As tipping was ingrained in American culture it was only when I came to New Zealand that I learned to appreciate our way of not tipping. I now feel that tipping is a vile, despicable custom that is a cancer on society.

"Tipping does not ensure prompt or better service. In fact, it can ensure poor service, corruption and a general enmity between service personnel and customers."

And it's not all bad news overseas. Angeline Quek gently chided us for using a Singapore dollar as part of the illustration for my earlier article on tipping. "Singapore is a non-tipping country and I don't want your readers to get the wrong end of the stick. We spent two weeks in Singapore last Christmas and our hotel specifically informed us that tipping is not only unnecessary it is not encouraged."

She also describes with pleasure going to Malaysia, "another non-tipping country, where we left money out for the room attendants but they did not take it." (That's encouraging, though, in fairness, in my experience Singapore and Malaysia are by no means tip-free zones.)

Similarly, David Lupton recalls leaving some small change after a meal in Urumqi in China, "and the waitress came running down the road to give it back".

Lupton is one of several people who have fought back against the tip culture. "Once, when I was particularly fired up, I did take my tip back. I gave an airport porter 100 rupees and he asked for 500 - for two minutes' pushing a trolley - when the 40-minute taxi ride from town had only been 200. I said, 'You want 500? Okay, give me back the 100.' He gave it to me and I walked off through the security barrier."

Likewise, Roger Hall struck a waiter in Los Angeles who "recognising our Antipodean accents and guessing we were not tippers, wrote his own tip on to the docket. I had great pleasure in crossing it out and telling the cashier that until then I would have tipped him."

But the last word goes to Anna Murphy who muses on taking advantage of the Kiwi reputation for being tightfisted by getting T-shirts printed saying, "We come from NZ and do not tip." Any takers?