Whenever you travel abroad, there are a few things that are quite difficult to figure out: Is this edible? Where am I? or.. How do you pay for bus tickets? But there's one thing that's particularly tricky: tipping.
In America, tipping is very common, the standard is 20%. I really love the whole tipping culture there (although it took me a while to get used to it).I think It shows appreciation and generosity. As much as I like Europe, the story there is a bit different, they just don't like tipping (in general). I mean, they might tip a waiter, but never a cab driver, or a hairdresser. I think Buenos Aires is the middle point between them both. 15% is the standard tip for restaurants and cafes here (and a bit more if they really made an effort). Some (most) restaurants charge a 'service fee' or 'cubierto', which tends to be around $4.00 pesos per customer. This is not going to the waiters, so don't think they are including the tip on the bill. I really hate this fee, and I'm still trying to figure out what it acually is. As far as cabs and hairdressers go, you don't have to tip them, but it's always good to let the cabbie keep the change and give the stylist a couple of pesos..
It's nice to be nice.
