Tipping in Great Britain (or more specifically, England).

[General_Tangent]

Wait people have FLGSes that serve food and drink? Look at these fancy lads and lasses! Back in my day we went to Orc's Nest up hill through the snow both ways and the shop could barely fit six people and one of those people was always an unwashed dude buying MtG cards and arguing with the cashier!

I remember going to that shop a number of times and not only was it cramped but I remember it being rather dusty as well with all sorts of books stuffed into racks.

These days the shop off Leicester Square has improved the number of people you can now fit it there by adding a second floor. Although when they originally did this upgrade they used some industrial looking metal grating for the floor and didn't give any thought about being able to see up onto that level. These days the floor is I think a thick opaque plastic that preserves the modesty of the upper floor shoppers.

 

[Morrus]

Requesting a tip is very American and I’d have thought it antithecal to most sensibilities, at least outside charity stores who may collect donations. If you encountered it they were being opportunistic, which may well be a sign of the times

When it comes to serving staff in pubs/restaurants, the card machines seem to ask if you want to leave a tip by default these days. So if you don't want to leave one, you have to actively choose not to.

 

[MarkB]

When it comes to serving staff in pubs/restaurants, the card machines seem to ask if you want to leave a tip by default these days. So if you don't want to leave one, you have to actively choose not to.

Likewise when ordering online. JustEat adds a tip for the restaurant by default, and provides the option to tip your delivery driver.

 

[Ryujin]

Likewise when ordering online. JustEat adds a tip for the restaurant by default, and provides the option to tip your delivery driver.

Which sounds remarkably backwards.

 

[R_J_K75]

Which sounds remarkably backwards.

Welcome to 2025

 

[Bagpuss]

Also many companies will use one of the various generic transactional portals that are available these days to plug into an existing website, and while they can be customised to fit, it'd be easy to leave a tipping option enabled even if it's not appropriate to your industry or location, either accidentally or because, hey, extra revenue.

I think this is the most likely explanation.

 

[Ryujin]

Welcome to 2025

I often wonder if those tips that the card swipe asks for, at fast food chains, go to the workers or the owner/franchisee of the place. My gut says the latter.

 

[Bagpuss]

This is something very odd and not normal for Britain nor England.

In Britain there are basically two places you usually tip - when you are served or delivered food, and when you take a taxi. In the former case the "default" tip (often added as a "service charge" for larger parties, in which case you don't really need to also tip though maybe you do shove a fiver or a tenner under the plate so your server specifically gets it) is 12.5%, but most people would round up or down to 10% or 15%, and with taxis, 10% is normal (according to my mum, a woman who has taken literally thousands of taxi trips in her lifetime, so I find her to be a very credible source on this).

I would say tipping for served or delivered food, isn't even always expected, or at least it wasn't until say after 2020. If you have good service/food you might have left 10%, or just throw a few extra quid/£5 on the table after playing the bill. With large group yes it was expected. Now as we have moved cashless it is getting common for restaurants to add 10% to 15% to the bill as a service charge. Not used JustEat or Uber Eats, normally just order direct, and drivers for the local Indian or Dominos, don't seem to expect a tip and I've never given one.

Back when I was getting taxis, it was usually just keep the change (rounding to the nearest £1, no idea what it is like in the cashless society we live in now.

Hairdressers is another place I find it common to tip.

Also bar staff back when I was drinking and pints were only a few quid, you might say keep the change which was normally around 50p at most, or "and one for yourself", in which case the bar staff might add 25p to 50p to the price of a pint, and keep that, they wouldn't charge for a whole extra pint even though you said "and one for yourself".

If anywhere else asked for a tip I would tell them where to shove it, charge what you think the service is worth.

 

[R_J_K75]

If anywhere else asked for a tip I would tell them where to shove it, charge what you think the service is worth.

What about tattoo artists, do people there tip them?

 

[Clint_L]

What about tattoo artists, do people there tip them?

I tipped mine on Monday. 20%