English, baby!

Here's a Tip

Date: Oct 12 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

In the United States, a lot of people make a good portion of their money from tips. When you give a tip at a restaurant or bar, it’s usually split between the waiters and waitresses as well as the bussers and cooks.

It’s also customary to tip taxi drivers, bellhops, and even hair dressers. With so many people to tip, it can get confusing how much you’re supposed to give in a given situation. Listen to Marni and Mason talk about tipping at a pizza parlor.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Mason

Marni: So, did you tip for the pizza?

Mason: For the pizza? Like a little bit. Like a quarter or something. I mean it’s not…wasn’t as much as it should be.

Marni: It’s true. Mine was $2.50, I gave him $3, I put in the 50 cents for a tip.

Mason: Yeah. well that was a good tip. That’s like a what…a 20%?

Marni: I don’t know, is it a good tip? What do you think about tipping? Do you have a customary standard?

Mason: Well I’ve worked in the service industry, right, so I feel very entitled to tips and I feel that it’s good to give tips. But, so my pizza was like $2.75, a quarter doesn’t really cut it, but I also don’t want to have give them a dollar which I’d have to do because I never carry change around. It’s kind of a circumstantial thing.

Marni: So now, you’ve worked in the service industry, have you ever encountered people from other countries coming in and not knowing the custom, or when you travel, going to a country where tipping isn’t customary…

Mason: That’s one…It’s always weird for me not to tip. It’s very weird.

Marni: It is weird. I know some countries it’s kind of a grey area and you tip and they’re really excited. And I’ve heard, I’ve never been to Japan but it’s my understanding that they will literally chase you down the street and give you back your money if you try and tip ‘em so…

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Discussion

As they eat pizza together, Marni asks Mason if he tipped at the counter. He says he gave a quarter, which he knows is a little less than he should have given. Marni tipped 50 cents. Mason notes that a 50 cent tip for a piece of pizza that cost $2.50 is a good tip. It’s 20% of the price of the food, and 15-20% is the customary amount to tip in a restaurant where the waiter comes to your table, so it’s a really generous amount at a place where you order at the bar.

Marni asks Mason if he has a system for figuring out how much he’s going to tip. Mason used to work in the service industry so he takes tipping seriously. But on something like a slice of pizza, he just tips whatever change he has left.

Marni asks Mason if he’s ever traveled to a place with different tipping customs. He says he has and that it’s weird for him not to tip. Marni says that in Japan, people will absolutely not let you tip them.

Do people tip where you live? How much is an appropriate amount?

Comments

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Logan86

Poland

In poland it's not wide spread custom. Of course at the high-class restaurant it's a must, but in other places you can hardly see people giving tips. However it's good of you to give a tip so that you will surely receive better service.

alexmain

Russian Federation

it depends on the service quality you get in a bar or a restaurant. I think there's no need to give a tip if you didn't like the service.

METEOSAT101

Egypt

hello ,it plaeses me much to meet an arabic one here and specially one from Quatar.

Iam Adel 24 Egyptian,i work as a communication developer Engineer .

i wish to communicate with u more so i improve my english .

wish to hear from u soon

parry_johnson

Mexico

I live In Mexico Here the people gaves more and less 10% of the real price of product or service several times but not always I Think in Mexico not all persons have the culture to give apropiate amount of tips but is depending of the case and of each person

melody-Ayu

China

tipping in China is not very common and I don’t think it’s a good thing~

lyon819

Taiwan

Hello, everybody,

I come from Taiwan.

If yu eat in high-class restaurant in the Taipei city such as music restaurant, romantic restaurant,

yu shall need to pay the tip about 10%.

If yu gonna food stand where will is okay.

When i traveled in Indonesia, U.S., I changed

my custom about tipping.

monister

China

I want you to give me a big tip,I also come from china

Shahil

India

okkkkk

Sally-happy

China

there is no costom to give tips

jonamae

Philippines

i think its good to give her tip , bcz sometimes the cost of peolpe hard work its not enougth..for her family or other , if the one peolpe give you atip she or he smiles if u dont know ,u help her

wa'ad

Saudi Arabia

in Saudi arabia the tip is optional and as i notice it depends on the quality of resturent.

i think the tip may create good impression and nice feelings .. there is variation in the amount of the tip of course from person to aother.

Nasim

India

Hi all, here in India, the situations r the same as China or most other countries. tipping is not customary, though in expensive and 5star hotels 99% people will do it but not in cheap ones, but if you tip in these cheap hotels you'll find you order processed withinn a wink :) .

Well, and it is rather queer that tipping is so customary in the US. I think I've read in Ripley's believe it or not that you can be legally charged in some province of the US (it was perhaps Texas) for not tipping !!!!!

special girl

Qatar

also in Qatar we give a tip in some situations but basically it's illegil

Hally

China

well, I think is's no mater what country you are in.if you want to give a tip .you shall do it.

ptite_millie

Belgium

In Belgium, we usually leave tip paticullary at the restaurant.

almansoori

United Arab Emirates

in my country ,UAE,its up to the customer if he want to give tip or not ,its not arule or something you must do it

adpour

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

In Iran, we tip about 1$ at restaurants.

But If you're going to buy a car you should tip about 10$.

In Iran we say "a fee of tea"!
It means that if a person told you: "pay the fee of your tea", you should tip him!

-xing-

Indonesia

Wow, So Japanese people will chase u to return the tip.. they're really nice.

in my opinion, giving tips is good to show our appreciation for the service they've given..

recently, a lot of service company charges their service fees into the main cost. it's not really good. because we can't show our appreciation to them who services us better, maybe we will give another special tip. And we also have to pay for the service fee although the serviceprovided isn't good enough.

In Indonesia, i think my frend hav described it clearly.. Tips? it's Ok, But Not a Must.