Tip

I believe that a tip is a reward for a job well done. Usually I tip generously at restaurants, barber shops etc. These guys work hard and they depend on tips to make both ends meet. Some of them are paid below the federal minimum wage. So if they treat ME well, I treat THEM well.

My usual rule is 15 to 20%. The highest I have gone is once in Chennai, I tipped a taxi driver Rs5000. He was with me for 2 full days and I was well taken care of. The guy was so nice that he even refused to accept the tip. But I gave it to him anyway. Before you think that I am benevolent, I must tell you that I got that promptly reimbursed by my company.

Sometimes I use ‘offensive tips’ to insult people who deserve it. If I have a snarling, rude, inattentive waiter, I purposely leave a few pennies on a $30 tab. I don’t shove them, but I must let them know what I thought of their PMS behavior.

That is exactly what happened to a taxi driver in Las Vegas. He was rude, and acted like a drunken asshole. The mean bastid was using cuss words in the traffic – remember I was with my wife and kid. And since traffic was heavy, he dropped us off two blocks away from our destination and wanted us to walk to our hotel.

The meter showed $7.20, and I gave him that . While I was about to walk, the junkie got out of the cab and asked “Where is my teep”? I checked my pocket and gave him 3 cents. You should have seen the expression on his face. That was 3 cents of insult well spend.