Is Tipping 20% Too Much in the Philippines?

[Jollygoodfellow]

4 hours ago, bows00 said:

I respect this comment, only because I have not lived there long term yet.  I hope you are right.  I will save a lot more money living there. 

Well I know I now think in peso. Rarely do I try to convert it as to me now thats the currency I use or have in my wallet. What do others do who have lived here awhile ? Do you think in pesos? 

[scott h]

43 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Do you think in pesos? 

naw, I usually still to a quick conversation in my head

[TunaT]

3 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Well I know I now think in peso. Rarely do I try to convert it as to me now thats the currency I use or have in my wallet. What do others do who have lived here awhile ? Do you think in pesos? 

Yes, I think in peso's. Been here 8 years so have pretty much adapted. But the brain thinks both U.S. dollars and peso's a lot. Small stuff peso's, more expensive stuff U.S. dollars and peso's. 

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Mostly I think in pesos, but for large purchases I look at both.  I never see dollars so rarely think about them. I have some regular numbers I think about - p2,000 is one week's groceries, p300 is a day's wages, p130 is lunch.  So a waiter's tip is going to be influenced a lot by that.

Last year in Boracay my sister-in-law was visiting from the US and we had amazing service at our beach tables. There was a waiter and security guard running drinks and food for us.  Later I found out she was tipping them p500 a day!  I told her it was almost 2 days wages... she shrugged and said 'it is only $10, no biggie'.   She thinks in dollars, I think in pesos ha ha 

[Dave Hounddriver]

6 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

What do others do who have lived here awhile ? Do you think in pesos? 

Yes I do, because the exchange value of my "home currency" keeps changing.  That means my budget changes with it and I have to think about what's in my wallet, not some ethereal exchange value or what I would pay "back home" (quote marks to indicate my confusion as to where home actually is for me any more  )

[hk blues]

I don't consciously think in either pesos or my 'home' currency. I think my brain decides when I need to do the numbers and when I don't. Like most, I assume, for the small stuff it washes over me, for the bigger stuff the calculation is done. I spent 10 years in Hong Kong and the same process happened until the day I left. Even if i do the numbers, I use a broad brush approach - 1 gbp=60 pesos. I also find that i convert to USD also as locals tend to speak that language.

[Happyhorn52]

Last night I gave a 50p tip on a 450p pizza. Service wasn't anything special but it was New Years and it was my change from a 500p note. You could see from the expression on the waitress face that it was more than she usually got. In fact the place was empty so that might be the only tip she got all night. 

[earthdome]

I tend to leave much larger tips during holidays because I appreciate those who are working on their holiday to provide a service. I have even been asked if I intended to leave such a large tip. The till automatically flagged the tip as too large and the manager had to do an approval for the larger tip.

[Jeff R Us]

On 12/29/2017 at 12:58 AM, Jollygoodfellow said:

you will after time think in Peso not dollars so why should you tip a waiter a days pay when you did not do it before in your own country?

This perspective makes the most sense to me. I am typically a generous tipper unless the service is bad. However, I admit I brought my American attitude to the Phils along with thinking in terms of dollars. I need to rethink my tipping habits.

[Old55]

14 minutes ago, Jeff R Us said:

This perspective makes the most sense to me. I am typically a generous tipper unless the service is bad. However, I admit I brought my American attitude to the Phils along with thinking in terms of dollars. I need to rethink my tipping habits.

My wife and Filipino friends have made me understand this as well. As a visitor I am tempted to tip 20% unless poor service as Jeff pointed out.

As an American we normally tip service industry folks. I've never visited Europe or Australia but understand tipping is not the norm there.

Are there any circumstances Expats make an exception and tip well?

I always get at least one hair cut and several shaves during our visits.  I see the same guy and tip him 50 Peso's. In return I have always recieved an outstanding detailed hair cut.