I'll provide a link to the guideline on tipping in the USA further below but for now , let's dwell on the ABC vs OBC understanding of what it means to tip or not to tip while we are in the US .
By the way , ABC stands for American Born Chinese , whereas OBC stands for Overseas Born Chinese .
Both are Chinese but when you put us both in one room there could be a big culture shock to grapple with .
I made it a point to tip during my time there . Allocated a sum aside for that purpose only and it is not little considering the fact that I spent close to 3 weeks in the country .
Thus most of the time , things went very smoothly and I received a lot of assistance from guides who went the extra mile and service staff springing to their feet to help me as if I was Queen B walking through the door .
It was nice , you can say it's fake but hey so is make up . So if you can wear fake colours on your face , what's wrong with receiving warm fake treatment in return for a tip ?
Right .
While I made it a point to tip , to the delight of my driver cum guide , he lamented the fact that the rest did not . Not even a dollar .
While it hurt him very much , and he did not insist on it , compared to others who were more insistent , persistent and aggressively sought it, it hurt him very much to the point that he did not want to render any extra assistance to the OBC's under his care .
From my observation , some of them thought he was very rude . If only they had left him a tip . It would have made all the difference . And they would have seen the nice man that opened up his life to me and shared his history , ups and downs , tales and stories .
So anyway , we had this conversation which I hope will serve as an eye opener to both us OBC's and ABC's as to why one won't tip , while the other expects it .
Him : They did not even leave me a dollar
Muah : You gotta understand one thing . We OBC's only give money to someone when we do something wrong
Him : Haaaaaaa ?????
Muah : Yeah . Matter of fact . Undertable , bribes , coffee money . These are the only times we will tip someone .
Him : But don't they understand that we depend on tips
Muah : With time . Maybe . But the general conclusion is this " I did not do anything wrong , so why should I give you any money . Understand ? "
Him : ( frowning . Quite and looking very deeply disturbed )
Muah : Ya . There is a difference between us . On one hand , the ABC's here expects tips in return for a job well done , without considering that the OBC's only tip to get out of trouble .
Before he drops me off at the hotel , I give him a bigger tip .
Him : What are you doing ? Are you paying for all of their tips ?
Muah : I am giving this to you sincerely . Go grab yourself a good dinner tonight ok ?
Yes I made his day. In a fake way . But if it made him feel better and more appreciated , then it was worth every dollar .
Here's the guideline I promised .
If you want to know what I gave as tips . Here it is :
3 USD for hotelmaids
20 percent for dine in
1 dollar for takeaways and fastfood
5 USD for bellboys
For 20USD , you get a temporary best friend with tons of tips and tricks .
* Eh please lah people.
Please . If you have enough moolah to go to the US , you will have enough spare change . Please think of those in the service industry . They really do need those tips so do set aside some money for that purpose . It would be cruel not to . *
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