Qanset wrote:

The wife and I are planning at trip to USA/Canada in the near future.
Is it true that the Yanks are really hung up on tipping, and that
FORGETTING to tip someone is courting disaster???

Like most tourists we will be traveling on a limited budget,this means
that anybody expecting free money from us will be advised to look
elsewhere.

A colleague of mine who honeymooned in Hawaii was told by a tour bus
operator, that he EXPECTED gratuities for his efforts, because his job
was poorly paid. What more can I say.???

I'm going to cop a lot of flak on this subject, but never mind I have
and open mind on accepting advice on World Travel.

Are you telling us you haven't been able to find the answer to your
question prior to coming to this newsgroup.

The truth is that prices for things such as dining are substantially
cheaper in the US than Europe, for example. Given that, and the recent
escalation of the dollar's decline, you should just consider it part of
the payment. For bad service, I generally leave a few cents, since I
don't want them to think I forgot about tipping. To many people, leaving
no tip means you simply forgot about it. 19 years ago, I had a waitress
call my room at the LAX Marriott and ask if I had forgotten her tip.
I told her the service was very bad. I then called hotel management and
they gave me credit for the cost of the meal.

On the other hand, don't feel pressured to do something you are not
comfortable doing, especially if you have no plans to patronize the
business in the future.