typically.nl

Tipping, should you? Well yes, you should you cheap bastard! Nothing ruins a day for a service industry worker more than an empty tip jar. It’s not even the money, but the appreciation of hard work. Do these people need the tips to survive? Well no. So if the service was bad, screw ‘em.

Nederland is a socialist welfare state and this automatically means that people don’t actually need the tips just to buy food. Minimum wage guarantees a good income and most hospitality people make considerably more. Still, nothing says dankjewel so profoundly as a simple tip, if only half a euro.

How to offer a tip in conversation: say “make it X” where X is the amount including tip. So, for a 12.40 bill simply state “make it 14 euro please”. Don’t expect a dotted line on your credit card slip; our machines rarely print these.

Taxi

Tip 5 to 10 per cent or just round up to the nearest euro. If the driver was a jerk, it’s OK to be cheap.

Waiters and restaurants

Ten percent is considered generous in .nl, unfortunately. Not many natives tip that much, especially on higher bills. But you really should, at least if the food was good. On the other hand, if the service or the food sucked, tip less. Nobody will die of hunger tonight. Tips are generally shared by waiting and kitchen staff, but not by the manager. In most restaurants a percentage of daily revenue is calculated as tip for tax reasons. (Yes, we have to pay tax on tips!)

Bar

Most of the time you’re actually good not tipping, but it’s still common courtesy. Round up to the nearest euro, or if she is particularly attractive, the nearest 10 euros.

Toilet person

When there is a toilet cleaning professional, expect to pay a mandatory tip. Usually 50 cents, sometimes one euro. In the latter case you can expect a case of sweets and mints. How sanitary this all is remains to be seen.

Wardrobe and other places

If the sign states a fee, using a wardrobe simply costs that amount. This money almost always goes in the proprietor’s pockets, not the person in front of you. But that’s OK since tips here are not expected.

By the way, a sign near the wardrobe will usually disclaim responsibility for your items. This has been overthrown in court many times. When they take money to store your stuff, you can hold them liable when they lose or damage it. Always.

Bellboys, washing room ladies, servants of any kind will gladly take your tip, but this is not expected and Nederlandse people certainly do not tip these people. When in doubt, you are usually fine not tipping.