Frans Amsterdam in Pattaya: 'The credit of chambermaids'
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Frans Amsterdam has settled down again in Pattaya and entertains us, until there are no more 'like' ratings, with his experiences in a follow-up story.
At the Dynasty Inn Hotel I have never had any complaints about the work of the chambermaids. However, there is one that I would like to talk to you about.
She is friendliness herself, always comes to tell me that she's lucky if she works on my floor, and when I meet her in the hallway she first gives me the current weather report: Hot, very hot, or lain. Then she tells me that it's almost my room's turn, asks if I have any special wishes, and convinces me that I'm a good man. So far nothing going on.
But suppose I run into her on Monday, then it could just happen that she also tells me that she has a day off on Thursday. Then you can think: 'Good for her', but you can't get away with that. Because it will be told again on Tuesday. Like she's afraid I forgot. Even if I forgot… So what? What do I care that she has a day off? For all I care she puts it on Facebook, I don't care. I'm sure there will be another chambermaid.
If you think so too, then you really miss the deeper soul stirrings of this lady, and probably those of others as well. It is of course the intention that you will give her a little extra during the day off, in addition to the usual bedding, so that she does not have to sit in her room all day. Well, I'm not the strongest either, and the gratitude you will receive is in no proportion to the sacrifice made, but you run the risk that such a person then thinks he has 'got it', and starts throwing out a fish more often. I now know her schedule for the whole month by heart…
She also knows exactly on which date I will leave. A few days ago she pointed to the growing pile of Baht coins next to the TV. If I have not used it on the day of my departure, she will take care of it. Next month she will go home for a week and then that will come in very handy for the bus and for milk for the little one. That is quite expensive and ooo, what a good man I am.
I understand it all, but I can imagine that there are people who start to get annoyed at some point. In this case I can no longer judge completely objectively and do not need advice. It was precisely this girl who, a few years ago, found in my room the safe that I had not locked, containing an estimated more than twice her annual salary, and left it untouched. Then you build up some credit. But when are your limits reached?
At some point it's over and out.
That differs per situation and of course per person.
There are people who are over it, who only care about the money and who never have enough and keep coming up with the familiar excuse. There are also those who ask nothing and are happy with 5 Thb.
A boy who sometimes brings food to us will simply receive his salary from his boss and if the food is 190 Thb, he will receive a 10 Thb tip. If the food is 195 then 5 and if it is 185 then 15.
Usually rounded to paper money. That boy is fine with that, he knows that and will not show that it is too little. If that boy says that he cannot bring the food for a few days because he is going to his parents, he often gets 200 or 300 Thb from my wife and also on New Year's Day and such days he gets some extras.
That boy will not get anything from another restaurant because he is taking advantage of the situation. For example, the food is 180 Thb, then he says loudly Thb 200 while there is a receipt of Thb 180.
And in the latter case do you pay 200 or 180?
180
Do what your heart tells you.
Well, chambermaids are of course the most important employees of the hotel. They ensure that your room, not to mention the bathroom, looks fresh and cared for every day.
Indeed, in general, friendliness itself and always willing to adapt their work to my rhythm, I mean if I want to sleep until noon, one phone call is enough to get my room done.
I'll put a 100 baht in my hands in between, which is always accepted in gratitude so it must be enough……….
For me always a kind word and a fat wai so I believe that I will be well taken care of and that I (the room in this case) will be well taken care of.
I also have a growing mountain of loose baht coins that I also donate when I leave with the announcement that it is fun for the children or something and that is always accepted with gratitude, so it must be good.
If I read 5 baht tip above, I think I would feel a bit embarrassed, I don't think I can give less than 20 baht, but everyone for themselves isn't it.
And oh yes before I forget, nice piece again Mr. from Amsterdam.
If it gets very late before I get up, around three or half past four, then I get a call asking if I still appreciate cleaning the room. That's just a little more fancy than having to call yourself. And you can't hang around dead like that for days.
I also agree with you, less than 20 Baht is no longer considered a tip here, I believe. Anyway, if there is really regularity, then you have to be careful again, because if you have given 30 Baht twice, and then you give 20 once, they will soon look at you with a look like: Did I do something wrong? Then it might be better to give a little extra now and then and leave it at the coins.
Adapt to the environment.
At a noodle soup restaurant or food stall next to the road, you don't tip either.
And hey, I always leave that to my wife or daughter.
I give too much or too little according to them
Why should I not tip at a noodle soup restaurant or eatery next to the road (roadside restaurant?)?
You always leave it to your wife or daughter? I get the impression from your first reaction that you give 5 to 15 baht, and on high days your wife has to come and donate 200 to 300 baht.
In which cases does your wife/daughter think you give too little?
Bringing it to our house is a service from the restaurants.
The owner insists to us every time that we should not give the boy anything, because then they want the same for others.
I don't do that tipping, giving money away is what is called "tip" with a nice word. This system also existed in the Netherlands where I was even expected to give a “tip” at the hairdresser. Screw you. I pay what something costs and that's it. Don't give away any extra money. Weird habit.
I think one should inform what is common.
Some places may and others may not.
The fact that we don't tip in the Netherlands says nothing about customs in other countries.
I remember from USA that 14% on top of the bill is the standard for the wait staff. It's just their salary.
In Thailand I ask my wife for advice.
Not really advice. She comes up with what to do herself.
In other countries I ask the reception what is best.
If you don't tip in restaurants, I think that's pretty cheap.
White-collar workers work for minimum wage, and if they do it well and kindly, I even give a 3% tip in Europe (and certainly in 10rd world countries).
KARMA is a bitch 😉 Think about that.
Well written and very relatable.
Be yourself ever. went out with this lady once. It was made clear that nothing else was to be expected. No problem, had a very nice day, nice company and the rest of my stay the room was well taken care of!
Gave a tip of 500 Thb at parting and she was very happy with it.
Ever been on a day out with a lady like that.
No tip was expected, but I ended up in a simple restaurant for a bite to eat, with a hefty bill.
Clearly pre-planned visit.
Maybe she doesn't want extra tips on Wednesdays at all.
Perhaps she would like to go out with Frans on that free Thursday…..
If this girl didn't touch your opened safe 2 years ago, it gives you a special sense of appreciation. That will always stick. And well… every now and then a few extra baht for the young lady, a welcome contribution for her, but peanuts for the Farang.
Very recognizable French. I also have a permanent place in Pattaya where I spend about 3 to 3 weeks 4 times a year, and I have also had the same chambermaid work on my permanent floor in recent years. Sweetheart of a girl, from Myanmar, who never asks for anything and never gives a hint. Always does her best and is therefore well rewarded at the end of the holiday, which is significantly more than a handful of coins. The amount actually goes up steadily, especially because she never asks for anything or hints at anything. And she doesn't have that much work for me, I have my room done about 3 times a week and for the rest it suffices if she puts down some new bottles of water, empties the trash or hangs up a new toilet roll (despite the fine sprayer!) . For these types of chambermaids, the tips are the icing on the cake, because they don't need it from their salary. And I believe that good and service-oriented actions should be rewarded. The favor factor is then high.
Apparently if you have reached “more than twice her annual salary”…
Depending on the hotel, the bellboy receives 20 to 40 baths and the chambermaid at least 20 baths per day. When staying in apartment 100 to 200 Bath per cleaning, depending on whether there are 1 or 2 cleaning ladies. When I sometimes meet them in the hallway, I regularly ask if they would like a cold can of soft drink (or beer) and sometimes I also bring something for the ladies, including the receptionist, such as fruit, bonbons or a small something. I rarely get annoyed. Think of it as a game that I enjoy playing. They also tell me that they have a day off, sometimes I give them a little extra, but other times I wish them a nice day. And when I get the response that they don't have money, I give them 'free advice' that they should take a nice walk and enjoy nature because it doesn't cost money. I have no problem with some pushing the boundaries, I'm there myself and in the meantime I know how to keep seeing the humor in it.
Tipping: I almost always used to give tips. I had to read this.
Since then I had two Thai girlfriends. I am married to the second. Both felt that a tip was unnecessary. I have since stopped taking it. Do give a tip in special cases, for services that are not part of their normal duties.
Am I a stingy now? Many readers here may think so. Most Thais don't. Unless those Thais work in a hotel or restaurant. It is mainly a custom of wealthy Americans, followed by the English, followed by Europeans.
For the readers who think I'm stingy… Why don't you tip in your own country?
Let me put it another way: I think it's inappropriate that there are (American) jobs where the employee depends on tips to get a decent income.
That's how we think about it.
If it were up to me, I wouldn't eat in restaurants where you have to pay 10% service charge and 7% VAT on top of the price. Incorporate that into the price right away, I would say, but that is not as attractive as ALL YOU CAN EAT THB 699 and then there will be another THB 100 on top, just to name an example.
A tip is for those who do something extra. Not as required by many.
I myself worked in the hospitality industry for years in NL and my wife has also worked in the hospitality industry for over 10 years, see those big tips of 10% sporadically in NL (and I don't have to).
Well Bert, you think 10% is a 'big tip', but for others it is perfectly normal. The fact that 10% is not necessary for you is of course personal and the fact that you sporadically see this being given in the Netherlands means nothing. Provided that I have received pleasant service, I will determine the percentage of the amount. For example, if I have had 2 cups of coffee and have to pay €4,20 for it, I round it up to €5. That amounts to almost a 20% tip. If I have a satay with a drink in a café and the bill comes to, say, €40, I will charge €45, which is also more than 10%. If the bill is a bit higher, for example € 88, then I round it up to € 95, so I am below 10%. You shouldn't be so spastic about tips, provided the service is good, I like to express my appreciation with a reasonable tip, especially in Thailand, where they don't just 'work on the side' but depend on it for their income. If someone else does not give a tip for whatever reason, that is his/her business, but I do it and not because I feel obliged to do so, but simply because it makes me feel good and the recipient even more so!
Also in NL there are many who work for a minimum wage or less (part-time) in the hospitality industry.
The wages are not great there either.
You lavish tips. It will also depend on your own wallet that you can / want to do that. I think many people think that 2 euros on an amount of 88 euros is ok, but 7 euros?
I find that spastic.
Lavish is a relative term, what one person finds a lot may be little for another. Discussion about that is pointless. Giving a tip usually does not depend on the contents of the wallet, but on the attitude of the owner of that wallet. Especially people with a well-filled purse and who could therefore do without it more easily are generally inclined to keep their hand on their purse strings. The meaning of spastic is, among other things, spasmodic and that's not how I treat tip. I don't think a valuation of roughly € 7 on an amount of € 88 is excessive for a catering employee who has given me / us a pleasant evening. Could also have been € 5,50 or € 7,50, for example, if the bill had been slightly higher or lower. You think that many people would find € 2, = enough. Not exactly a fat pot, but why should I conform to that? Draw my own plan and so far I feel good about it. Until a few years ago you had the nightclub Exite in Pattaya. I tipped the wait staff 20 Bath several times a night. I was fantastically taken care of all evening / night for about € 5,= in tip. A win-win situation for both parties for a small amount more on the bill of a night out!
Your question why no tip in your own country.
Dear, there the wages are regulated and significantly higher than here. People work here against alms from which it is impossible to make ends meet. Moreover, 90% are far from home, family and children. For months.
A little understanding of the living and working conditions would be appropriate. Those low wages are the reason why most can come here on vacation.
Wages are higher, but so are expenses. There are also many living in poverty there in NL. Food Bank?
Frans thanks for your good story, and your attention for someone who works for you
You should be happy with such an honest lady. I've experienced that differently. And a tip every now and then what are we talking about. It's sad that she actually has to ask for it. But I do understand you can only spend your money once and the ladies of easy virtue are not cheap right.
I'm sure you missed it or misinterpreted my idiosyncratic words, but the girl doesn't have to ask for her tip. By 'the usual bed litter' I mean the daily tip, which is not up for discussion as far as I'm concerned and is simply budgeted, it is basically about throwing in one or more extras.
Many people in the service industry view tipping as a sign that the guest was satisfied with their work.
Most of the employees who work in this industry often rely on a tip, because without it, they can't really get by in their daily lives.
Someone who says, and it makes no difference whether they are Thai or Farang, that a tip is not really necessary, has never worked in a hotel.
In almost every country in the world, with a few exceptions, it is customary for good service to give an appropriate tip.
Also in many countries in Europe, you see that many employers in large hotels, among other things, adjust their wages for their staff because they are aware of the tipping system.
This adjustment of wages may seem inappropriate to many, but has the advantage that everyone is now extra involved in being friendly and providing a good service.
That's why I give an appropriate tip for good Service and friendly treatment everywhere, and even do this in my own country.
Well, I have been to various hotels with my Thai girlfriend and the chambermaids did crazy fun things with the towels, swans, hearts, etc.
During that period I saved 20 Bath notes and my girlfriend taught me that it was worthwhile to give up one of my 20 Bath notes in return for the make-up of the room and she then added some change. I had and have no objection to it. against and the downside is that if you want something arranged, it is no problem.
In principle, I never tip. It's not my problem if the employees earn too little: then the salaries have to go up. I simply pay what the meal, service, or item costs.
Dear Sir, that's what we call stingy. You take no account of the local conditions. You know that wages are so low that people depend on tips to earn a decent income.
In return you will receive excellent service and a beautiful smile.
Every week we give 200 baht to the chambermaid and 100 baht to the bellboy on arrival and departure.
I once - before I knew her - fobbed off my Thai wife after a round of golf of 5 hours with 200 baht, on the advice of my Dutch co-player. This under the motto: don't give too much because then they get used to it and expect such an amount from everyone. Typically Dutch.
Spend as much as 8000 baht on a round of golf and then skimp on the caddy. Yes Yes
The girl in NL at the cash register also earns only 21 euros a day, also give a tip?
https://goo.gl/iRPgrC
With regard to the title, I completely agree with my predecessor! Synonyms for a miser are: a knepert and a currant.
We are always privileged people if we can afford things that others cannot afford, in whatever situation we find ourselves.
For anyone who does something for another, the acknowledgment of that gesture is important to the giver, and in the hospitality industry it comes with a tip. That is normal! Whether this (tip) is deducted from the price or added to it is irrelevant.
Throughout my working life I have experienced many forms of the hospitality industry as a guest AND as an employee. If a guest shows in any way that he appreciates what is offered, a positive bond is created for a while and that bond will only grow with repeated visits. Very positive right?
And that is the essence of a tip, where everyone can decide for themselves how much that may be.
I think mutual appreciation should be expressed. That often makes a difference.
I can understand your attitude well, I find it a difficult subject because the feeling is so double.
If you don't give anything it's not good because then you don't have compassion. But if you do give something, you maintain the poor salary of this entire group.
In various comments here you can see that several people think you are a Bad Person, if you don't tip, because of the low salary.
But, in most stores, the staff is also poorly paid. How much tip do people give there after contact with such an employee? Are only chambermaids, waitresses, hairdressers, masseuses and taxi drivers worth helping?
Dear Danzig, in many hotels in this world these low salaries are paid, because this is also part of the system.
In Europe and even in America, the service employee is often offered a minimum wage at the most to motivate him extra, to offer good service and friendliness.
If all who work in the service earn a wage where they are no longer dependent on a tip, many people who in principle never give a tip could wait a very long time for transactions that they previously saw as normal.
I myself worked temporarily in service in Europe, but if someone was known to be stingy, he was avoided like the plague by most colleagues, and although a Thai still smiles kindly, this is certainly no different in Thailand. An angry tongue would say, if you often go to a restaurant where your stinginess is already known, you can never be sure how they treat your food in the kitchen. Enjoy your meal……..
My wife worked for 1 weeks in Nijmegen at Sanadome, cleaning the associated hotel. Minimum wage salary. Tip 0 euros. There were also Thai women who had worked there for years and also tipped them 0 euros.
Work is hard and undervalued by the employer and the clients.
22 minutes per room, bed linen change and cleaning.
Slave labor, so I said to my wife: You better stop and find something else. After 6 weeks she did indeed stop.
Well, I don't know what it's like in other hotels in NL, but at the holiday parks I don't know any better from acquaintances.
small correction 1 weeks should be 6 weeks in Nijmegen etc.
It is not your problem that people earn too little….
But you do go to a low-wage country on vacation to take advantage of it.
Your reaction says enough about your personality.
Some will never take off the rose-colored glasses.
My holiday is a dire necessity, to live cheaply for a few months a year, because with my low benefits and high costs I cannot live in NL all year round. 🙂
I'm not that difficult with tips, but that's because I vacation in Pattaya 3 weeks a year and I'm busy with my work for the rest.
Restaurants get the coin less than 50 baht, and the chambermaid something like 75 baht per day.
And the begging children on second road occasionally get 100 baht, since I don't have any children to feed myself.
I have 3 weeks of vacation, so the chambermaid and that one stray can enjoy that too.
75 baht a day for the chambermaid is extremely generous. If you work and pay taxes for the rest of the year, waiting to see where your 'development aid' ends up, it's up to you what you feed a begging child on Beach Road, although there are probably reasons not to.
But that's not your concern, in fact the most important thing is that you feel good about it, and that someone else may have been helped by it, that's a bonus.
That seems like a good starting point. If others say that's not the whole story, that may well be true, but you feel good about it, your chosen ones feel good about it, and the politicians have nothing to say about who you give those few to. spends pennies, that is completely up to you.
Maybe also a bit of a 'protest tip' against all the other crazies that are proudly supported by the government with your earned money?
Well, I don't have children, and I give those little strays on second road a good meal, so when I meet them 100 bath is standard.
Well, on second road there are 2 or so of those strays that I encounter.
Then only 2 glasses of beer less to consume.
And indeed, development aid ok, but in my way.
Tipping is no problem, but what I hate is that when you ask to pay and the waitress gives you the bill, they keep waiting and like to look in your wallet.
I tell the waitress that I want to check the bill and that I will give her a signal to collect the money and tell her.. it's ok.
I always have a bit of trouble with those bellboys, at least tip wise. They always get very little from me, because they only appear on arrival and departure. Or if a safe or a lamp is broken. But of course it cannot be that I have to give more as more breaks, and little breaks. And pulling the shit every time they hold the door open for you is also nonsensical.
If you are somewhere for 1 or 2 days it is not that difficult. But how do you solve that? It's not fair if the chambermaid gets something every day and the bellboy 2x a month, if nothing breaks?
My reasoning is that bellboys take and pick up guests from their rooms throughout the day. 50 times a day x 20 baht tip is 1000 baht per day in addition to their normal salary. So that's why I think a 20 baht tip is ok. The same applies to chambermaids. 20 rooms x 50 baht tip = 1000 baht per day. And I know in Bangkok and other tourist places some receive a monthly salary around 20.000 baht. Together, 30.000 or more per month, which is a lot of money for Thailand. Yes, it helps if you look or act pathetic because then you get extra, just psychology. That's why the chambermaids give you extra attention and the bellboy waits until he gets his tip.
Usually gives a tip to the wait staff in a hotel or restaurant according to what I feel.
Also received a sneer from a farang that I ruined things, so be it if he wants to live cheaply in Thailand, his problem is not mine who is on vacation.
That farang is actually right. The point is that European tourists, for example, generally tip too much because they do not feel the difference in living standards. What is 1 Euro to them? That is almost 40 Baht and that is quite a big tip for a Thai.
That farang who lives in Thailand DOES know how it works and does not give excessive tips like the tourists. So tourists are actually ruining the farang market.
Tipping is not used in daily life here. In shops and the like, a tip is often refused and the owner himself does not even accept a tip.
If a Thai performs well, that is not yet a reason to tip, but it is a certain incentive to do his job better (for the tipper).
I maintain that giving money away "tip" to a wild stranger is and remains a strange habit. The Thais I know, and myself, don't. Some give change back in a folder and then I or my wife feel compelled to give it to the wait person. In order not to make a fuss, she then gives the wrapped Baht 20 - but is furious about it on the way home. Those kinds of eateries are full of tricks to knock some extra money out of your pocket. Didn't see me.
Whether in Europe or Thailand, chambermaids always get tips from me. Even the hairdresser here in Antwerp gets a tip. Appreciation in the form of a tip is always nice.
My Thai wife has worked for many years in the EU in the housekeeping division in various Sheraton (Starwood) hotels.
The tips at the reception and in the restaurant were put “in the pot” and distributed among the staff. Tipping for chambermaids was individual.
Less than 20% of customers left a tip for the chambermaids. Usually small change, one euro, one dollar, one guilder, twenty francs. Very rarely there was 5 guilders, 100 Bfrs. or 5 euros on the bedside table.
In Thailand we always leave a minimum of 40 baht for the chambermaid. My wife is on it.
Thai ladies who “discourage” their farrang husbands from tipping chambermaids are “kie nok”.
Frans's story again contains a great insight. That chambermaid announces her day off because she hopes that Frans will agree and propose to do something fun together that day. In the meantime she will realize that this farrang suffers from an extreme form of fear of commitment 🙂
I suffer from it, but not under it.
Money, money, money and everyone falls over each other about what is right and whether the other is not a miser or a brat who ruins things. What a drama. Just give what you can and want to spare to whoever or where you think it's appropriate. No one else has anything to say about that.
A discussion as to why housekeeping (only in Asia or also in Europe, where with minimum wage it is also 3 times a dime?) does have a tip and the shop assistant who takes you to the aisle with brown beans does not, would still have some level.
And that honesty? That is in you or not and then it is not a matter of whether what you find is of much or little value. I have found wallets and bank cards several times. Even when I got by on 200 euros and that thing was well filled, I was never tempted to return the stuff untouched. That you then receive a box of chocolates as a reward, well what counts is the gratitude that something has been found and I can still look at myself in the mirror. There are people with a good salary who have no problem not being honest. Honesty and income are not related.
If Frans is happy to stop the chambermaid on her day off, fine. Another would wonder if it is a hint what to do together and a third would say nothing. And no one is wrong. For example, it seems to me a real horror to go to the same hotel every time in an environment that also doesn't appeal to me (I don't go abroad for the booze and the girls or prostitutes) but what I do do, someone else will find a horror: spending hours in cities, museums and parks to soak up culture and nature.
Frans, do your thing and enjoy it. 🙂 And I wish the readers who went wild have a nice day without increased blood pressure or itchy fingers. 555
NB: Life is about more than money and tips: A smile, kindness, respect, decency and treating others as you would if you were in their shoes will go a long way. Then I won't worry about whether/no/how much to tip.
Sorry to have to write this, but when I first came to Munich years ago, I served as a bellboy in a 5 star hotel to bridge the gap.
Just like today, even then the minimum wage was paid at most, and this hotel was certainly no exception with this payment.
Many people from Europe think that the size of the hotel and the number of stars play an important role in the amount of the monthly salary.
Unfortunately, if you compare the livelihood with Thailand, you also saw in Europe that most Service personnel earn very little.
So little that you were motivated every day, doing everything to keep the guest happy, hoping that another tip would come.
The best in terms of tips were the Americans, and the worst of all, sorry to say this, were the Dutch and the Israelis, the latter of which I could still understand in view of history.
This was more than known by the chambermaids, as well as by the bellboys and the rest of the service staff.
A room for 120 DM, but too stingy to leave 0.50 Pfenning for the chambermaid.
Yes!!!!!
Theo S, how I would love to go on holiday or dinner with you!!
Unfortunately it will be a very short happening, because we would already have a fight when we left the tuktuk!
Good luck with the "holidays"
Peer
ps, you mentioned the food bank. Do you also use that?
Here is the link to the beautiful scene from Reservoir Dogs, where Steve Buscemi's character, Mister Pink, is the only one who refuses to give a tip, or tries to talk his way out of it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn9nnOkASDg
Now I understand that people differ when it comes to tipping. We always tip in a restaurant in the Netherlands, but certainly in Thailand. Now something strange happened to us, we regularly went to Pattaya to eat in the same restaurant where the owner and service 2 ladies around the age of 70 always helped us. We always round the amount. We always charge approx. 10% tip money. Now the last day I remember well we had to pay 750 bath and gave 850. The owner who paid gave money back to 700 and we said she gave back too much. What is our surprise. She said. I now give you a tip, because they liked that we came to eat with them almost every day.
Dear All. Nice to read so many different reactions. It is up to everyone to tip or not. I have been coming to the Orchid Sheraton in BKK for years. A 5* star hotel. You would think that the housekeeping staff should earn more in such a hotel than in a hotel or guesthouse. The opposite is true. Working 6/7 days a week and cleaning 25 rooms per day with a 5* service for 8000 bht per month. These staff are dependent on tips, otherwise they simply cannot have a normal life as they often also send money home for the father and mother who take care of the children. For us, 50 or 100 bht is nothing. Look how much you spend per day with snacks in Thailand?
The story is nice enough, but unfortunately it ends up in a discussion about tips/tips.
Let's first note that each country has its own customs. For example, there are countries where they really do not want to accept tips, but there are very few. In addition, it is important how everyone earns their money. Catering, Taxi or public transport etc.. It differs quite a bit. Let everyone try to figure out the habits and go along with it. When "tipping", think about what it would be like if you or your son or daughter were partly dependent on tips. You are probably a little more generous then.
PS Mr. Amsterdam wrote pieces that described reality, whether they had sprung from his imagination or actually experienced, made no difference.