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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naldo_206252

Indonesia

hi8

naldo_206252

Indonesia

hi8

luke01

Taiwan

in taiwan , no need to give a tip to waiter just ,like you living in japan

Some of spring

Russian Federation

In Russia tips are principal source of income for waiters. And we give 10-15% of the price of the meal. It's bore with many people, but very comfortable for owners of restaurants. It's bad-mannered in our country not to tip.

ArtIII

Russian Federation

Weiter, weitress and so on, they have their own salary. Do you think that they deserve more? Why? Perhaps we should give our money to empoyers? ))) More of that tips are the origin of the curruption. People get used to easy money. IMHO.

Lynettebyc

China

Yeah, in China,there's no such customs. But nobody will refuse the tip if you give them

only personal opinion

FeiFei

China

In my country,China, there is not austom to give a tip.If you do, they might be very pleasant to receive

purples

China

From my opinion, in terms of the service industry, when tips become a portion of people's income, obviously, customer can get qualified and nice service. It's good for the whole industry getting improvement.

From the other side, to tip also make people to respect other's service, that can make service people get recognition and treasure the job.

To tip is not customary in China, except for some circumstance. But I wish tip can be usual gradully, as we can get more good service. Why not? Since, now in China, even you pay, but you still can not get good service.

ArtIII

Russian Federation

Why do you say that tip is a rule? Where does it come from? I think everyone should do whatever he/she wants. To tip or not to tip )

salvationearth

Germany

In china it is not customary to tip waiters,hair dressers…
But if you are willing to give,i think the person who receive it would be happy.

Merry KHO

Indonesia

Hai, all…
In my country, Indonesia, Actually there is not custom to give tip. But, As many tourist from abroad give tip to waiter or hairdresser, many people which originally from Indonesia do it too.. And the waiter who get the tips, will be happy in getting it.

Judywu

China

now in china,more and more people will tip in the large city.

Liliya-22

Russian Federation

Alayna yan, the same situation is in my country (Russia) :)

Liliya-22

Russian Federation

Hello everyone! Here in Russia tips are not so wide-spread. But it seems to me people become leaving a tips more often after visiting foreign counrties, which have this industry rule.