Do you tip & why / why not?

I always tip, and always have, but the Spanish are not big tippers generaly.

I have known barmaids who only get about 2 euros a night tips, rubbish............

Wow, that`s rubbish.

my wife is a waitress,gets 7e an hour not too bad and about 10e a day in tips,problem is a party of 10 can leave a euro tip or a couple having a coffee can leave a euro tip

everyone should if the service is good and food/drink good leave at least 10% as a lot of the wages are 5e an hour and this extra helps

the other prob is a lot of the owners also take a share,i think this is wrong

We did carry on tipping UK style when we first arrived here, but soon noticed that the locals tend to not tip.
So to answer the question, no we do not tip now (bye & large) unless a service that we receive is exceptionally good or more than can be expected.

my wife went out to lunch with a group of 34 women the bill came to , 328 euros. She sugested that each one should put a tenner in, so that each one would give only a 30 odd euro tip each. The women went mad. they thought that the tip was too much (about 12 euros).

They spent about half an hour scrabbling around for their 20 cents change and in the end left a 5 euro tip.
This was about 4 years ago, my wife has not been out with them since.

Tight wads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

she was so disgusted she kept the bill to remind her.............................

Here it is almost rude not to tip, I was surprised to hear from others saying the opposite.
There is no rule on the amount, although 10% is the norm. I do find it a pain though as I rarely carry cash, and never coinage so if the missus hasn't bought her handbag then they are out of luck!

I personally think it is up to the person concerned, no way should they feel obliged to tip. If they want to, fine, if not, no problem. It should not be the customers job to have to make up the staff's low wages. If you walk in a pub in UK, order a few beers, you don't tip the barman every time you buy a round, why should you do it it Spain when they offer you the change on a tray? Having said that, we always used to tip quite well, but have cut back, especially on long stays when we eat out every night. I quite like the Spanish way if they are not happy with the service, to leave a cent, or lowest denomination coin, to show that they haven't forgotten the tip, in fact they have left what they think the service deserved.

Like most I leave a tip, but in these recesionary times I am beginning to wonder why does a waitress on minimum wage deserve a tip when so many others on minimum wage get nout?

In Corte Engles cafe they refuse to accept a tip.

The only people I have ever known leave a tip in a Spanish cafe/ bar were Brits.

And no, I do not tip anyone. Why should I? nobody ever gave me a tip for simply doing my job.

It is usual to leave a tip in a bar/cafeteria, even if you are just having a coffee and tapa, but it doesnt have to be much, just 10 or 20 centimos.

2 euros tip is fine if going for a lot of tapas in the early evening or 5 euros for a proper evening meal

You dont have to tip anything like 10-15% like Brits or Americans might

However, Spanish people do usually tip at cafes and restaurants, just not very much and if you don't tip noone will complain.

[QUOTE=cricketmanHowever, Spanish people do usually tip at cafes and restaurants, just not very much and if you don't tip noone will complain.[/QUOTE]

Not around here they don't.

You must have some particular stingy ones then

Someone said yesterday "How can I talk for every Spanish person". Of course I cant. I can only comment based on what my Spanish friends and family do and what I see of Spanish culture on the TV and newspapers.

The culture is to tip in Spain, but not huge amounts....

How are tips shared out in a restaurant? Varies I suppose. For instance, if you enjoy your meal it's because of the food as well as the quality of service, so does the chef, the bottle washer all get a share?

I always tip if I've had good service and I know that my tipping probably marks me out as a foreigner, but I think good service deserves paying for and the added benefit is you'll be guaranteed good service next time. It's an investment.

Only if I've had poor service do I not leave anything.