Tipping Habits

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Yes, our Shanghai Hilton Elevator Boy has tipping experience.

Its June, 2005, I’m stepping into an elevator at the Hilton Hotel. A porter politely let me in first. He steps in behind me, dragging a shining brass cart absolutely chock fill of luggage.

"My goodness," I said, "so much luggage! Where is this group from?" I ask.

"America" he says with a smile.

"You seem happy," I observe.

"Mei Shemma" he says, which means 'nothing really'.

"So," I ask, "do the Americans give good tips?"

"The best!" He says, "Out of 10 Americans, 9 of them give you a tip." It turns out he has a head full of statistics.

"What about the English?" I ask. (As in the USA, Chinese for "English Person" is incorrectly understood to be inter-changeable with "British person")

"The English are pretty good. Six or seven out of ten will give you a tip."

"What about the Germans?" I asked.

"The Germans are pretty good too. Maybe six Germans will give you a tip. The French are really bad."

"What about the Japanese?" I asked.

"The Japanese are the worst. Only one of them will give you a tip."

"And the Taiwanese?"

"The Taiwanese are better, maybe two or three people tip you," he says. "Where are you from?"

This is one of those times I don't hide from comments about the invasion of Iraq. "I'm half English, half American,"

The doors open. His thumb sticks up and he smiles.

"Very very good" he says in English.

The next morning I was on the exec floor of the Hilton and craving an update. I said to the waiter, "Yesterday the porter told me about the way people from different countries tip. Who do you think tips the most?"

"Americans," he said, "they always provide a nice tip."

"Do the Japanese really tip less than everyone else?"

"Actually, they almost never tip. But occasionally you find a Japanese businessman who will actually give you something."

"The Taiwanese are better?"

"The Taiwanese are better," he said. Many business people from Taiwan will give you something."

I asked, "How do they compare with travelers from Hong Kong?"

"Hong Kong people usually do give you something; many times they give you a tip. But when they do tip, they never tip very much. But at least they always give you something."

"Hey, and what about Australia?" I asked. He provided an unexpected detail.

"It depends upon what part of Australia they are from," he said. "If they are from Eastern Australia, they can give a nice tip. But if they are from Western Australia, they don't tip at all."

"And what about local Chinese?" I asked.

"Oh," he said, "they never tip. We were not brought up to do that. But if they have traveled a lot or lived overseas, maybe they will give something."

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