Why are Las Vegas cabbies so weird about tips?

[MitchL]

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I'd have a really hard time working out how much to tip etc if I ever went to america, here in Sweden its pretty rare that you tip taxi drivers etc, you can tip a small amount at a resturant if you want but they wont get pissed at you if you don't, I suppose the standard salary is alot higher here or something like that.

I find these threads really interesting cause if I ever go to vegas I don't wanna look like a freaking cheapskate in front of people I know.

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Clearly Euros have the right idea. Tipping is just a retarded way of doing things. It is so confusing, especially in casino environs and people can come off looking like [censored] even if that wasnt there intent. Remember when Joe Hachem got all that flack for not tipping enough when he won WSOP. He is an Aussie for god sakes how was supposed to know what to tip when there was already money taken out of the pool to pay dealers, floor etc. Its not like Harrahs provided service beyond what was required. That episode is very illustrative of how confusing the tipping culture is in the U.S. and more specifically Vegas.

[Adde]

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My tipping depends entirely on how I'm running, in life and in Vegas. As far as I'm concerned, everyone in the service industries is in the business of helping Los Feliz Slim make money, one way or another. If I'm running good, they share in the proceeds. If not, we ALL need to cut back and figure out ways to get me back on top. The way I see it, it's not a tip, it's profit sharing!

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Beautiful thinking!

[MiltonFriedman]

"... for a minute I really thought I was going to spend the night in his trunk."

Do not let cab drivers in LV ever intimidate you. That they are at the bottom of the food chain does not mean they have any muscle.

In some cities, driving a cab is a great cover for other lines of "work", not so in Las Vegas.

LV Cabbies drive because they cannot get a gaming job or other gig with better income. They provide a service you want however. Tip what you think is appropriate, period.

[Triumph36]

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seems that everyone balls hard. I'm going to assume that everyone that doesn't ball hard is embarrassed and doesn't post. I don't understand the logic of people though. "what's the difference for an extra buck or two". BECAUSE AN EXTRA BUCK OR TWO CAN BUY ME STUFF! Just b/c you blow money and probably don't shop around for purchases, order used books, etc, doesn't mean everyone that tips 15% it a nit that hates humanity.

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you are a huge nit - whether or not you hate humanity is up for debate.

i think the two sides in this thread are:

'i don't care how much i tip cabbies because i only take ~10 cab rides a year'

and 'i take cab rides rather often, and over-tipping means i am costing myself a fair amount of money over the course of a year'.

I imagine Vegas cabbies are used to fools who come out to their city simply to spend money, so they're not used to people being nits on tips.

[Analyst]

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A $2.00 tip would seem a minimum acceptable amount to me, on a low fare. Where the hell were you riding to/from for only $6.60 ???

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I have to visit a company in LA on a semi-frequent basis. It's about the shortest cab ride possible from LAX but there is no way to walk it. Even with the airport fees, etc. the total fare typically comes out to $8.50-9.

Though I usually tip in the average range, the airport cabbies have to wait in quite a long line for their fares; I'll usually tip around $4.

[Adde]

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All,

Everyone tips the cocktail waitresses $5 per drink, though, right?

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$5 is a bargain when coming from a country where the law prohibits the casinos to give out free drinks and instead charge market price (some $10). I'd tip $5 for the first couple of drinks, and $3 for the next ten or so if I'm on heavy drinking duty.

[Analyst]

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I'd have a really hard time working out how much to tip etc if I ever went to america, here in Sweden its pretty rare that you tip taxi drivers etc, you can tip a small amount at a resturant if you want but they wont get pissed at you if you don't, I suppose the standard salary is alot higher here or something like that.


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A few years back I picked up the tab for a business dinner in Helsinki that was something like 184.5 euros - the local rep told me to just round it to 185. It sure felt strange leaving a <1% tip, but I guess that is standard practice.

[MissT74]

I'm in Vegas A LOT, so I have the tipping down to a science.

Cab Fare: If it's $5 or less, I round up to the next dollar, add another dollar and call it a day. If it's over $5 then I round up and add $2. If it's over $10 then I round up and add $3 and if it's RIO to Binion's ($18 fare) then I give them a $5.

I ALWAYS carry change on me, singles/fives, etc, so as not to get stuck with having to get change from the cab driver. I give him what I'm planning and say "Thank you" and hightail it out of there.

When playing poker, I tip about $1 for about every $20 in the pot, keep in mind that I only really play 2/4 or 4/8 for fun, I'm not a cash game player.

For cocktails: While playing poker $1-$2 per drink, unless it's a regular cocktail waitress who a. recognizes me and says Hi to me and calls me by my name and b. brings me a drink without my having to order it or c. brings me a drink AND my favorite shot. She gets $5 every time she comes around, and this is mostly at Binions or Harrahs.

At RIO, Bally's, and Harrah's I'll tip a red bird every drink I get at the pit games (carnival games) since that's all I usually have in front of me anyways, and believe me, it works in getting that next drink sooner. I rarely, EVER have an empty drink glass in front of me waiting for a waitress.

Apparantly I'm known as a "George" at my local hang outs in both Laughlin and Vegas and that's a good thing for someone who goes so frequently, you'd be amazed at the treatment you get.

T

[suzzer99]

Europeans - entire [censored] continent of penny-pinchers. Scandinavia - the worst of the worst.

[glimmertwin]

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10% is standrd in uk. as a waiter a few years ago some douche tipped me about .005% [5p]which sucked and even handed it to me as if i should be grateful so i just put it back on his table... at 30% shaniac would have been my biggest tip!

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10% is standard, which is lower than the USA, but higher than many other European countries. The Dutch, for example, just add a few coins. Of course, most of those places seem to be able to manage to pay their staff a decent living wage without their having to rely upon tips -- which I'd much prefer. A gratuity should be precisely that -- something that you give to somebody to reward them for services over and above the bare minimum.

I remember talking to some women in NY one night. They'd been out to eat in one of those Italian restaurants in Little Italy, where the waiters are all greasy old Italian men. Throughout the course of the evening, they'd been patronized and insulted by the waiters, who implied that they were [censored], that they were lesbians, etc. etc. etc.

When I asked them whether they had withheld the tip, they were really shocked. The idea simply hadn't occurred to them, but even if it had, they said that they wouldn't have done it for fear of being confronted by the waiters about being cheap.

I find this attitude completely bizzare. These [censored] completely ruined their evening. I would have been refusing to pay for the meal, never mind withholding a tip.