’Tipping’, ’gratuity’ or ’service’ is handled very differently in the UK and America. It’s important to get this right when you visit each place as it can affect whether the staff in bars, cafe, restaurant, hotels, hairdressers, and the drivers of taxis or buses think that you are lovely, rude, strange, or whether they chase you down the street!
In the UK...
In the UK the reason for tipping is to show that you really liked the service. In the UK we have a high minimum wage, and no-one can be paid below this amount for any work, so when you tip, it is mainly showing politeness to the service person, and to acknowledge that they did an excellent job.
You can tip more or less depending on how good you thought the service was, and the average tip is around 10-20%. So if you loved your new 50 pound haircut, you should add another 5-10 pounds onto your bill, and this will go directly to the hairdresser! If you didn’t like the service, don’t tip! This is the case even if ’service’ has been added to your bill. If you didn’t like the service, you can always refuse to pay. Or if you are a student, traveller on a budget, or simply can’t afford to, it’s also ok not to spend the extra money.
In the US...
In the US, you will often hear ’tips’ called ’service’. It is essential to tip in the US, because the waitresses, bar staff, maitre’d’s in these industries are paid a low wage which they cannot afford to live on, and therefore your tip is much needed by them.
It is actually part of the payment that you make and very often is not optional! Especially in restaurants, if you do not pay the service, you have not paid your entire bill, so watch out!
在英國給小費意味著你對店員的服務很滿意。英國政府規定了最低工資標準，所有雇主都要遵循這個規定，所以員工的工資不會低於最低工資。
Spot the Difference 英美差異
1. 給小費的不同理由：
UK：以示禮貌；表示服務質量真的不錯。
That waitress was so friendly and quick! Give her a big tip!
那個服務員服務態度好並且效率高，我要給她一大筆小費！
US：在美國，服務員、酒吧侍者等工作者工資很低，生活十分艱辛，所以小費對於他們來說十分重要。
The 15% service charge has been added to your bill.
15%的服務費已計入您的賬單。
2. 給多少小費較合適？
UK：根據服務質量而定，一般在原價的基礎上增加10-20%。所以如果理髮的價格為50英鎊，另外給5-10英鎊就很合適。值得注意的是，這些小費直接屬於美髮師！如果你對服務質量不滿意，不給小費即可，即使小費已經算入了你的賬單中！如果你囊中羞澀付不起小費，不付就行了。
US：通常小費是賬單的一部分，而且非付不可！尤其是在餐廳，如果不給小費，就被認為是沒有付完賬單，這點要特別注意。
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