No Tipping! And I Don't Mean Cows!
The other day a nice employee of Walmart brought an ottoman and some end tables out to my car.
My assimiliation into the whole "tipping society" of Mexico, had me reaching into my purse as easily as it is to blink. I pulled out a toonie and handed it to the nice boy and said, "Thank you".
He put his hands up like it was a stick up and backed away saying, "We are not allowed to take tips, but thank you for the nice gesture.".
There was a moment of embarrassment coupled with horror, followed with the feeling of...."that's freakin awesome".
So if you go to Walmart in this neck of the woods, you dont'have to tip to have your groceries bagged, you don't have to tip to have someone put things in your car, you don't have to tip to have someone back you out of a stall (hey...there's no one there to tip!).....and more importantly, you are simply just not allowed to tip PERIOD!
Keep them coins for parking. You'll need them!
My assimiliation into the whole "tipping society" of Mexico, had me reaching into my purse as easily as it is to blink. I pulled out a toonie and handed it to the nice boy and said, "Thank you".
He put his hands up like it was a stick up and backed away saying, "We are not allowed to take tips, but thank you for the nice gesture.".
There was a moment of embarrassment coupled with horror, followed with the feeling of...."that's freakin awesome".
So if you go to Walmart in this neck of the woods, you dont'have to tip to have your groceries bagged, you don't have to tip to have someone put things in your car, you don't have to tip to have someone back you out of a stall (hey...there's no one there to tip!).....and more importantly, you are simply just not allowed to tip PERIOD!
Keep them coins for parking. You'll need them!
posted by My Way @ 2:28 PM
8 Comments:
At 9:02 PM, July 30, 2008,
Anonymous said…
The first time I took my daughter to Mexico she asked “do you like tip everybody for everything?” My answer was “well yes, pretty much”.
At 6:32 AM, July 31, 2008,
Bluestreak said…
it´s opposite for me! Here in Spain we never really tip for things like a beer, coffee, that kind of thing, and really really small tip for a meal. I go home and feel like I´m being taken advantage of for having to fork over all that extra cash.
But then I remember my days as a waitress in an Irish pub and know they need the money!
At 7:32 AM, July 31, 2008,
barry said…
Isn't it amazing the wide spectrum of Tipping expectations you find in the cultures of the world. Although Walmart is basically store policy, it was interesting to find that essentially throughout the Orient , tipping is not sought and often refused . Not only in Resturants but one extreme case comes to mind when Ex left a camera in a taxi, the cabbie spent 2 hrs trying to find the hotel we were staying .He refused the offer of a monetary reward and said Arrigato(thank you) was more than Enough ..so looks like some parts of the world are 'PALM SUNDAY " every day, and some are not.
At 7:37 AM, August 01, 2008,
Islaholic Trixie said…
I've tried to figure out the average tip money that goes out for a one week stay in Mexico. It would be interesting to keep track of it some time. From the time you get off the plane at the airport, you better have your tips ready for everything from luggage to wiping your butt at a gas station!!
At 3:52 PM, August 02, 2008,
Theresa in Mèrida said…
Mexico "Way", Now you are back in a country where Wal*Mart is an inexpensive store, and the clerks don't have college degrees...isn't that weird or what?
regards,
Theresa
At 9:51 PM, August 02, 2008,
My Way said…
Jackie - Smart and very correct answer!
Bluestreak - Oh...maybe I should look into Spain??? lol
Barry - I like the idea of not tipping in Japan. *BURP*
Trixie - I thought about doing that and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't really be all that much unless I included tipping for spa (mani, pedi, hair) and meals. Other than that it's mostly chump change....depending on how chumpy you are...
Theresa - The sad part about that is that I actually feel like the employees here are over educated for that type of employment because they actually try to help you and don't just stare at you blankly. :O
At 6:16 PM, August 05, 2008,
Theresa in Mèrida said…
Mexico "way", in the Walmart in Rohnert Park, California, the employees are the ones who can't get jobs anywhere else, it seems. We used to joke that people who couldn't work at Nordstroms got jobs at Macy's, if they couldn't get a job at Macy's they got one at Sears,if Sears was too demanding then they worked at Wallyworld or if they didn't make the cut for Walmart they became a checker at K-Mart, which meant that they were a virtual zombie communicating in grunts and glassy stares.
It sounds like maybe your Walmart attracts a better employee which doesn't say much for the economy unless they pay more in the frozen north.
In Merida, they are happy and helpful. Probably no one is happy in Cancun, wages are higher but cream soda costs a $100....yikes!
regards,
Theresa
At 11:34 AM, August 06, 2008,
My Way said…
Theresa - Funny! lol.
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