Should You Tip Campground Workers?

Above, The Beast at Route 66 RV Resort, where I usually get escorted to my site. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Should you tip campground workers?

If one were to be camping in Japan, where there is no tipping, this question would not be coming up.

But, in the U.S., tipping is somewhat rampant. I have never tipped a campground worker, even those who have escorted me to my campsite. They usually take off right away before I even get out of my RV after reaching the site.

RV Travel takes a look into this question.

They begin with:

I’ll admit it. I am not a good tipper. I think it’s mostly because I never know how much to tip. I’m not good at figuring math inside my head and can never remember if tips should be 15%, 25%, or 35% of any given bill. I never worked as a waiter/waitress either, so I have no idea how the hourly-plus-tips arrangement works. So, I defer to my husband. He more than makes up for my deficiency. So, here’s our conundrum: Do you tip campground workers? 

To read further on, go here. 

Shady Dealings In New Mexico Restaurants

by Corrine Rios in Facebook (via Michelle Schupp)

(Let me preface this with some information. This is about a restaurant in New Mexico. Our governor shut down restaurants in door seating in late March or early April. Many did curb side and pick up. They could NOT use their patios. Many restaurants had to close at this time. Around mid June, our governor opened up restaurants to only 50% capacity for indoor seating. Around July 13, our governor CLOSED indoor seating at restaurants again. She allowed them to do outdoor patio service. We live in the desert. Temps that week were in the high 90s! Who wants to eat outside. Many restaurants don't even have patios for outdoor seating.

This is where our restaurants are right now...struggling to remain open under threat of being closed again from our governor. )

We went to Bosque North in Bernalillo today for Marcus Birthday Lunch.

They have a patio. We had to walk through the inside to get to the patio. We have NEVER had to do this before, we have been there many times.

We didn't bring masks because who would've thought the protocols would change?

The company gave us 9 masks for us to use to walk about 30 feet inside the building to the patio were we could immediately take them off, which we did. They said these are the new rules of the governor.

What an expense for this company. And before you start getting judgmental, you know where I stand on the masks. We were expecting to get out of our cars and go straight to the patio as we had a reservation. Masks not necessary in 90 degree temps.

We ate. Food was good.

Then we get the bill.

The waitress told us that the wait staff is NO longer allowed to get tips. What use to be the line for the tip is now a "donation" section.

😲😲😲😲😲

The waitress proceeds to tell us that the company is NO longer allowing them to get tips and instead will start a "college fund for people of color." As she is telling us, this young gal is on verge of crying.

We didn't question anymore.

BUT we were in shock!

We came here to support this local business and their wait staff. I am so angry at this point, my husband and I decide to talk with the manager before we leave.

In short, the manager tells us, that the owners decided, that the less the wait staff makes the less the company will have to pay for unemployment benefits IF the governor shuts them down again. The wait staff does get minimum wage. The manager, who was waiting tables, says that doesn't equal their usual reduced hourly rate plus tips. So they are losing.

Many restaurants are doing this.

And they may not even tell you! Check the "tip" line on your receipt. If it says "donation" the wait staff isn't getting any of it! 😥

This is only one consequence of our governor's tyrannical unconstitutional closing down of indoor seating in our state.

These poor businesses and their employees.

I want to supoort restaurants but with their actions against the very people who work for them, leads me NOT WANTING TO SPEND MY MONEY AT THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS!

But what do we expect them to do?

Without doing this, they may not open again!

And here we are.....

A nation divided.

You may not see it as you maybe still blinded by a virus that has 99.9% recovery rate and deaths DECREASING.

"A house divided against itself, cannot stand."

I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.

I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided.

It will become all one thing or all the other.

Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1858, at what was then the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, after he had accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination as that state's US senator.

We will accept this tyrannical behavior or we will VOTE it out in November.

I am losing hope in the people of New Mexico.

Wexas: Top 10 Etiquette Tips For Travelers

Above, the article covers things from bathing to tipping. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In recent years, Americans have been saddled with being known as "uncouth" or having a lack of manners by foreigners. Naturally, not all Americans are ill-mannered and displaying proper Japanese etiquette while traveling in Japan will go a long way to dissuade people from painting with a broad brush.

Japan is big on proper etiquette. To help some who are clueless on Japanese etiquette, Wexas has posted their top ten etiquette tips for travelers.

They begin with:

From how to conduct yourself in a hot spring to why it’s rude to tip, consider this your introduction to the intricacies of Japanese manners. Don’t let it put you off, however. Although every effort to engage with the local culture will be measurably appreciated, any slips will be met with that famous Japanese politeness. As H. Jackson Brown Jr. opined in his bestselling Life’s Little Instruction Book – “Good manners sometimes means simply putting up with other people’s bad manners”.

To read more, go here. 

International Travel: To Tip Or Not To Tip

Above, a Tokyo taxi. No tip is expected or required. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Every country has their own customs concerning business transactions. That extends right down to whether or not to tip a cab driver, waiter (or waitress), barmaid or anyone else.

In many countries, gratuities are added into the price of a meal. Some have even outlawed tipping.

TravelDailyNews has an article on the subject of international tipping.

They begin with:

Tipping while travelling can be confusing, differs by country and doesn’t always depend on service quality. Wego, the leading travel search site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East, revealed where and when you should tip while on the road.

In Japan, there is no tipping.

“Knowing which countries where you should leave a tip is just as important as knowing which countries not to,” said Joachim Holte, Chief Marketing Officer for Wego. 

“In Argentina for example, tipping is actually illegal, however, waiters often expect to be tipped by foreigners so if you were to tip, discretion is advised. In the US, low wage earners in the service industry are reliant on tipping to balance out their income, yet in Romania, tips are often declined and in Japan, tipping is considered offensive.” 

The article has a nice graphic from Wego. You may want to right-click it and save it for future reference.

In case you're in Japan and forget what the tipping customs there are, The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan covers tipping on page 9.

To read the article, go here.

How Not To Embarrass Yourself In A Foreign Country

Above, an Asakusa sushi restaurant. There's no tipping in Japan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before heading into a foreign country, it would be wise to first bone up on that country's customs. What may be considered good manners in one county, may be considered rude and offensive in another.

The Huffington Post Travel section has an article to help people along so that they can avoid violating some social custom in another country and embarrass themselves.

They start it with:

Some of these local customs may strike outsiders as downright weird. But learning a bit of cultural etiquette, important phrases, and the absolute no-no's of any country you visit can save you not only embarrassment but also time and money!

To read the article, go here. 

To Tip Or Not To Tip

Above, the Shiba Park Hotel in Tokyo.  Tipping is not necessary here or at other Tokyo hotels.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Many inexperienced travelers are clueless about tipping in foreign countries. Some may add a tip when a service charge was already added to the bill. Some may tip too much, too little or tip when it is a no-no.

At least Japan and China are easy to remember.

According to Fox News.com's Travel section:

Believe it or not, tipping is considered rude in China and Japan, and is just not done. That goes for cab drivers, restaurant wait staff, and workers in hotels. But there is a big exception to this rule that could take even the savviest traveler by surprise. Keep reading to find out!

Yes, there is one exception to the no-tipping rule in Japan, and this came up during the 2004 trip to Japan.

To find out more about tipping in foreign countries, go here.

In Japan, Tipping Is Considered Dishonorable

Above, a Japanese taxi cab picking up passengers at JR Nagasaki Station.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Many of us in western countries are familiar with the custom of tipping. Tipping has gotten so ingrained in our culture, even people who provided us with terrible service expect a tip (or gratuity).

There are some places in the world where tipping isn't customary and is considered rude. Japan is one of them.

Australia's Courier-Mail web edition has an article on the tipping customs of different countries. This is what they have to say about Japan:

Japan 

In Japan it isn't customary to tip. Tipping creates confusion with recipients questioning why they've been given too much money. In addition, tipping can be seen as dishonourable, although a Japanese person would never raise it, in order to save face. While tipping isn't common, 'service charges' are being introduced at up-market restaurants and in western-style hotel restaurants in Japan.

This also goes for taxi cabs. No tipping!

To read the full article, go here.