Restaurants, taxis, the hairdresser, the delivery person — back home I had clear rules, and here I genuinely never know if I'm insulting someone or being taken for a fool. I've started over-tipping out of anxiety, which isn't sustainable. How did you all figure out the local norm without a dozen awkward moments first?
Does this change for takeaway versus sit-down? I genuinely never know if takeaway even expects anything at all.
Anna — in my experience takeaway is a total non-issue, nobody has ever expected anything there. It’s really just table service where the uncertainty lives.
coming from the US where you tip everyone for everything, mexico was an adjustment the other way. tipping is expected in restaurants, but the amounts people told me felt low by my US standards, and I was told by a local friend that over-tipping big makes things awkward for the locals who can't match it. so now I tip what my friends tip. same answer as Rajesh basically: ask three people, get three answers, pick the middle one
UAE: often a service charge is already on the bill. I learned to read the bottom of the receipt before reaching for my purse.
Australia: nobody tips much. From Korea, where we don't tip at all, this was the easiest adjustment ever 🙂
Jake, "pick the middle one" is the most sensible tipping rule I've heard. Adopted.
Read the bottom of the receipt first. Siobhán is right, and it saved me from tipping twice more times than I'd like to admit.