- Thread starter tjmurray
- Start date
Tipping in the D.R.
i give 10-15 % which some people say is high considering their economy. i'm a sucker for a smiling waitress.
i ususally give the ladies that clean my room 5 bucks a day. again a smile is worth 5 bucks.
bell captain, 5 bucks (coming to and leaving)
i'm sure you'll get much cheaper advice on this subject but sometimes i hear tipping a lot is showing off and not appreciated. it's almost insulting to some.
i ususally give the ladies that clean my room 5 bucks a day. again a smile is worth 5 bucks.
bell captain, 5 bucks (coming to and leaving)
i'm sure you'll get much cheaper advice on this subject but sometimes i hear tipping a lot is showing off and not appreciated. it's almost insulting to some.
Kyle, you are tipping these people the same or more as their DAILY salary. They are smiling at you not because they like you, it is because they think you are a fool.
Larry
When I started to travel frequently to the DR I once almost tipped a guy 500 pesos. My friends almost smacked me right then and there on the table LOL They gave the poor guy 50 pesos. I felt so bad. He had provided excellent service. With time I learned my lesson though.
I have always tipped depending on how much I appreciated the service. I gave a Havana Cab Driver $50.00 USD for a tip last year. It was equivalent to 4 months salary. I have also left nothing when the service was bad. I dont believe tipping should be subject to anything other than satisfaction.
That might make sense to you but you are thinking along the lines of someone who comes from a culture of tipping. Tipping is not a large part of this culture and philantrophy is practically non-existant here. What is seen as generous in the United States is not interpreted that way here because that kind of generousity does not exist. Instead, tipping someome four months salary as you did makes the recipient think you are an absolute moron.
I know it sounds strange but the thinking is backward here. When I first moved here and I began frequenting certain restaurants, I decided I would tip well because I was planning to be a regular customer in these places and I assumed that good tips would translate into better service upon my return. NOPE. The service got worse! The waitstaff in these places gave me noticibly pooper service and then I realized that their thought process was "dont worry about that fool of a gringo, he will throw 20% on top of the check anyway". The people who treated them rudely and whistled when they wanted something and left no tip got better service than me.
What you are also doing by tipping so much is reinforcing that belief that gringos are rich and as a result, we become even more of a target for "increased gringo prices, scams, robberies, etc.
FWIW.
Larry
Hi Kyle,
In your original post, you stated that you tip 10 to 15% in restaurants because you are a "sucker for a smiling waitress". I stated than when I first moved here I was tipping 20%. But you claim I identified myself as a cheap bastard
. No problem.Kyle, the difference between me and you is I LIVE here. I have been through the culture shock stage and I have a much better insight into living and dining out here than you do.
The great thing about this message board is that travelers such as yourself can log on here and get invaluable information from those of us who live here. Many are smart enough to listen; some are not.
Kyle, next time you take a trip down here, drop me a PM. I'll take you out for a beer, you can leave the tip
.Have a good day, wherever you are.
Larry
I'll never tip anyone ever again. I remember tipping cleaning ladies and the next day getting no towels. I also returned to a hotel to tip someone and they just took the money and did'nt even say thank you. Makes you wonder, and it does sound cruel but poor people for the most part have absolutely no manners.
I even had a friend of mine tell me how she hates it when tourists come to her country and overtip because it is not considered necessary.
So treat the hired help as such because if you're nice to them they''ll think you're a pendejo.
I even had a friend of mine tell me how she hates it when tourists come to her country and overtip because it is not considered necessary.
So treat the hired help as such because if you're nice to them they''ll think you're a pendejo.
You guys are already paying a 10% gratuity, it's included in your bill, Look at the receipt where is says "ley 10%" That is your tip. you are also tipping the government 16% sales tax. If you tip another 15% after that you are tipping a total of.... alot.
In restaurants that do not cater to tourists a decent tip is whatever change is left over from the transaction, within reason. i.e. if your bill is 1850 and you pay with a 2000 peso bill, leave 50 pesos on the table unless the service was excellent and the other 100 if it was. Remeber you have already tipped around 185 whether you wanted to or not.
If you tip the same person too much too freuently, instead of getting a loyal assistant who gives good service you will end up with a lazy lambon who thinks you are in love with him/her and they can get away with anything because of it.
Learned this lesson the hard way several times.
In restaurants that do not cater to tourists a decent tip is whatever change is left over from the transaction, within reason. i.e. if your bill is 1850 and you pay with a 2000 peso bill, leave 50 pesos on the table unless the service was excellent and the other 100 if it was. Remeber you have already tipped around 185 whether you wanted to or not.
If you tip the same person too much too freuently, instead of getting a loyal assistant who gives good service you will end up with a lazy lambon who thinks you are in love with him/her and they can get away with anything because of it.
Learned this lesson the hard way several times.
I can understand peoples point of view on not tipping if the service deteriorates or if in fact they are on a tight budget. I base my tips upon the situation. I have tipped waiters who have treated us worse the next day and they were left no tip this time. I also have bartenders and waiters who look for me and go far out of their way to provide me with FAR better service than most other customers. Those people I will still tip.If the service was good I dont feel it is wrong to give a tip. If they think your moron and try to get over on you now they get no tip next time.
Im on vacation and if someone is going to make my vacation that much better throwing them an extra $5 or $10 is worth it to me.
Im on vacation and if someone is going to make my vacation that much better throwing them an extra $5 or $10 is worth it to me.
The following was posted in this thread and was dragged to the thread which I split from here; it should have remained. Please treat it as a posting and not a quote.
The poster is Rick Snyder.
Gregg
Mod.
The poster is Rick Snyder.
Gregg
Mod.
Dominican employees probably don't expect the locals to tip but they are probably used to tourists tipping. When I visit I always tip, because they make so little. I worry more about tipping in the smaller establishments than in the high class restaurants, there I just do the required amount and I have never thought of tipping in the hotels, maybe I should have left a few pesos.