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Mr Alan
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Quote: from hankamazon on 2:08 pm on May 6, 2005
Its very true that Thai local customers to massage do not tip or at most up to 200 level. I have many Thai friends and they are much richer than our typical rich people in Nederlands or other EU countries. But even to these rich thais only exceptioal experience, they will give out a tip normally of 100-200 bahts.
So why should so many of foriegn customers would over tip them up to 5 times of local standard. Still I believe tipping is a extra reward to a service and it should not be something that is bigger than their already well paid job.
From my observation, many older Americans, Aussie or Canandians over tip. Because they are from a more conservative culture and take sex more heavily and somehow get more emotionally fallen even for a prostitute who show them 2 hours of passion and these guys forget its only a simple business transection.
The reason why Americans tip more than 200 baht at a soapy, is because this forum and others tell them it is the "custom" to tip 500 on average, and sometimes more if service is exceptional. If newbies were told to only tip 200 baht, then that is what they would do.
Yes, farangs are more interested in a GFE than Thai customers, so that is also a factor. Also, since the cost for one hour of P4P in the US is about $250 minimum (usually with a bad attitude), tipping 500 baht ($12) to a TG for a two hour session that costs 2500 baht ($65) is an incredible bargain to most farangs.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:17 pm on May 6, 2005
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buxeda
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good post h.
mr a, still seing eurusd at 1:1?
bux
btw, I do not tip for bad service, too.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 4:24 pm on May 6, 2005
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Mr Alan
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Quote: from Spurs Man on 1:43 pm on May 6, 2005
I agree with BrokenLeg.
Mr Alan, you cannot deny that most yanks tip WHATEVER the standard of service. It's like you guys think people will think less of you for not tipping!
I remember this one time I was dining with my principal at Lemongrass restaurant ( his treat!) which as some of you may know is a very nice joint. On this particular nite, the sevice was painfully slow. The table next to ours waited over an hour for their meal and then when their meal came the order was wrong. I heard them bitch throughout their meal yet when they left they left a tip of 800b! even the waiter / owner was surprised as I heard them joking in thai!
Needless to say, the over-tippers were American!
Gentlemen, as BL, HJ, Basher et al are trying to point out, one should only tip for excellent service...
anything else is just OTT.
I can deny it and I will. Every time someone sees behavior they don't like, they blame it on Americans, even if there is no proof that they are US citizens. In the USA it is perfectly acceptable to not tip (or only tip a little) for poor service.
Sometimes tourists or business people who have only been in LOS for a few days don't know how to count the local currency or maybe they don't know that tipping is not necessary in Thailand. If they would be educated about tipping practices in Thailand, then they would not tip (or only extra coins) and not feel the least bit guilty about it.
800 baht is $20. That is a very big tip even in the USA, unless the total meal was about $125 or more.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 4:28 pm on May 6, 2005
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Spurs Man
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Average cost of a meal for 2 at Lemongrass, with drinks can come to 3-4000b. Us farangs do tend to over-order. They were definately American, tip left was definately 800b - bairt roy baht as the waiter exclaimed!
Mr Alan, you are right, I don't know whether they were confused tourists or simply folly enough to leave a 800b tip! My point is, that had they done their research and bothered to find out about local traditions, they would have found out that to tip to such an amount does NOT win respect!!!!
In fact, I find it extremely disrespectful to "squander" such amounts of money in front of people who survive on much less. And it certainly provides thais who have never visited farangland an unreal expectation of who we are!
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 5:36 pm on May 6, 2005
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Hugh Jardon
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I find it incomprehensible that a Farang tourist would travel to any foreign land that has a culture totally alien to him, without bothering to do some basic research. There is a plethora of guide books available to read that explain all this, or often a few minutes of diligent searching on the internet will answer any questions that he might have. I found this advice through Google within seconds.
Tipping is not commonly or traditionally practiced in Thailand although it is becoming more widespread as a result of foreign influence. Tips are sometimes expected in the more expensive restaurants, hairdressers and for hotel porters. Don’t add a tip in hotel restaurants (where a service charge is added to the bill anyway) or in street restaurants. Taxi fares should be rounded up to the nearest 5 or 10 baht.
Granted that the above information doesn't cover the MP scene, but everybody here found the BTF, so a little digging could have provided the answers. Just because a service or product costs massively more in one's home country, is not a valid reason to overpay for it, even if it is ridiculously cheap in Thailand. It's just going to hasten the price convergence between them.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 6:32 pm on May 6, 2005
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Mr Alan
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Quote: from Hugh Jardon on 5:26 pm on May 6, 2005
I find it incomprehensible that a Farang tourist would travel to any foreign land that has a culture totally alien to him, without bothering to do some basic research. There is a plethora of guide books available to read that explain all this, or often a few minutes of diligent searching on the internet will answer any questions that he might have. I found this advice through Google within seconds.
Maybe they were not tourists. Maybe they were in BKK on business and everything was expensed. So if they tipped about 15-20% by mistake, is that really a crime? Was someone really insulted? I don't think so.
I once traveled to many foreign countries on a long business trip and mistakenly offered the hotel staff in Japan a few dollars for taking my bags up to my room. They refused the tip and I later found out that the hotel added a 10% service charge that covered stuff like that. That amounted to about $20 per day, and I was outraged that such a large service charge would be imposed, but fortunately my company paid the bills.
Almost every time I get change at a restaurant in LOS, the give me a lot of unnecessary coins (instead of paper money), obviously hoping that I will leave more in tips that way. I don't think the service personnel are insulted by tips if someone wants to leave one. But I don't advocate over-tipping in LOS.
I don't think most Americans over tip in LOS. I know that I don't. When I first read this forum about 5 years ago in preparation for my first trip, I learned that the average tip at a soapy is 500 baht, and I still follow that advice. If I had been told there is no tipping at a soapy, I would not pay any tip.
Ironically there is no tipping in the US for P4P. They quote you a price (usually at least $250 per hour) and at that price, no tip is expected, and a tip is rarely paid.
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:22 am on May 7, 2005
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Packripper
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Quote: from hankamazon on 3:08 am on May 7, 2005
Its very true that Thai local customers to massage do not tip or at most up to 200 level. I have many Thai friends and they are much richer than our typical rich people in Nederlands or other EU countries. But even to these rich thais only exceptioal experience, they will give out a tip normally of 100-200 bahts.
Depends on who your friends are I think. Certainly doesn't apply to all Thais.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:30 am on May 7, 2005
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Hugh Jardon
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Mr Alan
Surely it is a very poor businessman that will go to a foreign country with a totally different culture to his own and not bone up on local customs.
By not doing his homework, he could commit a terrible faux pas and lose any chance of clinching that deal.
Even before I set foot in LOS, I had gleaned that it is insulting to show the soles of your feet to a Thai, that one should not touch their head, insult the king, etc. I had also read up on tipping too.
You had found this forum as had I and so we both arrived here knowing what to expect.
Those that don't take the trouble to do a little research on these sorts of things are either lazy, stupid or naive.
At best, people will make allowances for them if they're tourists. If they're businessmen, it won't reflect well on them and their abilities.
At worst, these people could end up drugged, mugged, with STDs, cheated, injured; all sorts of misfortunes might befall an innocent abroad.
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:26 am on May 7, 2005
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Mr Alan
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Quote: from Hugh Jardon on 5:20 am on May 7, 2005
Mr Alan
Surely it is a very poor businessman that will go to a foreign country with a totally different culture to his own and not bone up on local customs.
When I got off the plan to arrive in Japan, I had been to serveral other countries before that, and had flown about 10-12 hours from Germany, and then the two hour bus ride from Narita airport to Tokyo and I was dead tired and without sleep for more than 24 hours (I can't sleep on planes even in business class). So big deal, I couldn't remember if they tip in Japan and I offered a tip to the hotel staff for taking my bags and they don't take tips because of a 10% service charge. I ddin't loose any deal since I was there visiting people who already worked for my company.
And don't call me Shirley.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 8:17 am on May 7, 2005
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blade
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im an asian and I tip between Baht 500-1000 range. I feel good about it and will continue to do so. also, my circle of Thai friends tips in the same scale - in my case its sort of 'helping out' the girls since i've been better off than them and I dont make any calculations if a go for p4p - just enjoying myself and let my partner feel happy when I go out of the door.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 1:24 pm on May 7, 2005
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