'AITA for not telling our new friend tipping isn’t expected in our country?'
"AITA for not telling our new friend tipping isn’t expected in our country?"
Said friend "Angie" (20) is an exchange student at our university. The four of us have had lunch together three times. The first time, I(21) paid. Let them keep the change since it’s my favorite restaurant, one I have been frequenting since I was a child.
It’s not actually expected here in Thailand but is appreciated. The other two times my two friends took turns paying the bills (one tipped for a similar reason to mine and one did not tip). Then the three of them went to have lunch together when I was busy and Angie paid and tipped.
They only told Angie that tipping isn’t expected after leaving. She’s more upset at me for not telling her since I generally spend more time hanging out with her than they do. Said she thought the friend who didn’t tip "was cheap." It just didn’t cross my mind.
Here's what people had to say to OP:
saxguy2001 said:
NTA. Heck, this is almost NAH if it weren’t for her being mad at you for it. It’s not exactly a big deal. She slightly overpaid and now she’s learned she doesn’t need to do that. Not a big deal.
Firm_Pen_4184 said:
NTA, she's old enough to research the norms and traditions of your country.
Affectionate_Rule341 said:
You are not her baby sitter. She should have read up on Thai customs before visiting instead of solely relying on you to familiarize with all these subtle details. NTA.
ChemicalAttempt770 said:
Not the AITA. If I was to go to another country, I’d look up the customs and courtesies of said country. That’s on her, not you.
bowlerboy2 said:
ESH. Angie was way out of line for getting upset with you, and definitely should've read up on the customs and culture of the country she was going to study abroad in. It's culture shock, and I get that.
However, you, as a local, also need to be able to help foreigners blend in with locals. This all could have been prevented had you simply told Angie that tipping was unorthodox in Thailand. I hope you two can get back on good terms after this.
MamaWelder said:
NTA because she has Google
MINI UPDATE:
So I just talked to them a couple of hours ago. Angie said she understands the waiters/waitresses appreciate tips but is still upset about how she unnecessarily wasted money(it was a big tip of 15%). Won’t be tipping again while staying here.