Tipping in Qatar

First off, let me say: so far I really like Qatar - the amazing skyline, the comfortable way people from all nationalities mix, the relaxed atmosphere, especially in comparison to Saudi Arabia. I too wish I knew better how to tip. I don't want to tip too little, but I also don't want my generosity taken advantage of. With the number of people in any day needing tipping it adds up and can get annoying. I'm here to earn money for retirement, but it really bothers me knowing some people are paid so little. In Canada it's easier to know how much to tip because we know how much restaurant servers are paid and that the tip is usually shared with the cooks, "bus boys", host, etc. We also know what our minimum wage is. Does Qatar have a minimum wage? I'm lucky to have someone come clean my apartment floors and bathrooms. Each visit I make them tea and dessert and on the Eids I plan to give them a larger tip. For gas station attendants etc. it would be simpler if the employer simply paid them a decent wage. For trolley pushers at the grocery store, the guy at the airport, trolley pushers in the vegetable market or souk I think it's easiest to actually ask them before accepting their service what amount they expect for a tip. That avoids any look of disappointment on their face if you don't tip what they were expecting. Thanks for the advice about refusing to pay for the added on service charge or at least asking what it is for. I'm having coffee this week with a friend who has lived in Qatar for 8 years. I'm planning to grill her on these points.

gorgeous...:-)

I see ... thanks Smoke! Well, I'm all for charity and distributing the wealth to who really needs it, but I don't want to sound cheap, but this would make me re-think how many cups of coffee/tea I drink! This doesn't exsist where I come from LOL! Here you do everything yourself! Sounds like a very pampered life there (compared to here LOL) But as you said, new country new experience! enjoying and appreciating all these inside tips I'm reading here on the forum! =)

Salaam, hello

I will be moving to Qatar, so much of this is new to me, but WHY would you need someone to push your trolley for you in the shopping center? And the person who pumps your petrol? Is this really needed or manadatory?And tea boy? A boy who makes tea/coffee at the office? Here you make your own LOL! So everytime he/makes you a cup, you need to tip them a few riyals?

But Noble man is right, there are many unfortunate souls out there working like animals yet get little to no extra help! I wonder, how is the zakat given in Qatar ;;; the government or moqsues collect it and distribute or is it done in private?

Heni you will get used to it here, things seem to operate differently and it will be a new experience for you. Everything cant be the same everywhere now can it? You are free to go and make your own tea if you like, but normally every big company have their own kitchen with have people to make your tea and bring to your office.

You can park your car outside any grocery and honk and you will get ur stuff delivered to your car, you can tip the petrol guy if he wipes your windows, mainly i do that in Waqood petrol station.

Besides all that you are free to give anyone as much tips as you wish no one will refuse it ;)

Dear D'Girl -

Concur! I for one am trying to take action. Before I arrived here, I started an organization focusing on these issues in other parts of the world. It has since been subsumed by an international charity organization...I intend to do the same here in the region.

Maybe there are tips for you to provide? I have the experience and the desire to replicate this sort of thing again.

With faith, hope and charity...

Yes there are fortunate lots that can receive tips. There are also unfortunate ones.

I observe the guys that push trolleys at a supermarket near my place. Most of the time these guys receive tips, I observe. Say on average if a person receives QAR 5 from each customer and he has 20 customers in a day, he can simply get QAR 100 a day or QAR 3000 a month on tips alone. This is much much more than his monthly salary.

But there are also unfortunate lots like the construction workers. Who will want to tip the construction workers ? I observe these guys start working from as early as 5 AM and work for more than 12 hours a day. I wonder what do they have for meals....surely they can't afford restaurant food everyday. Do they cook on their own ? How many meals do they have in a day ?

In Islam, there is Institution of Zakat (tithe). If any of these unfortunate people are poor and falls into one of the categories of zakat recipients, how is Zakat proceeds being forwarded to them ??

is anybody on this thread doing anything on a practical level to change this situation of low paid workers? or are you just wishing it would change? wishing is one thing but getting up and acting is another...enough dripping taps make a flood...think US Civil Rights movement...everyone has some spare time...use it to be proactive. For example go to a local's majlis (both men's and women's ones) and discuss the issue, tune in to the morning talk show on the local radio (arabic) and air your point of view, write to one of the local newspapers, contact the Human Rights Committee, etc, etc. if you are one of the priviledged minority in the world who actually has a comfortable life then perhaps it is your duty to allocate some time to speak up for the person who probably built the very home/office you are sitting in this very moment!!!

I like tipping! BUT seriously, these people should be paid more.. it’s sad :-(

There are others to be tipped too.. Nurses sometimes (my gramma does this), hairdressers, a driver who’s not working for you but his employer offered you a ride, workers in hospitals and schools..etc.. The most important thing is to try that no one sees you while tipping (if it was like in a beauty saloon) .. and you can say stuff like: thank you for doing that, or It’s for your kids, or This is for Eid( if it was Eid), or, Sorry this is nothing…etc And of course: keep the rest\change..etc..

[img_assist|nid=7232|title=Dua|desc=Amen :-)|link=none|align=left|width=440|height=56]

Dear DiamondGirl,

My sincerest apologies to you. I meant no offense. I have spent many years in the middle east and have close personal Arab friends who I call my brothers. I am quite familiar with the generosity expressed by many in this region.

Let me restate my point: I have, like others in this thread, empathy for those who are less fortunate and only wish that they would be paid a fair salary for their labor.

10th floor...my conclusion from your comment is that, although you have elected to move to this country, you have very little knowledge of local people or the culture...perhaps you are one of the many who live within their own culture here in Qatar and don't bother to understand the country they live in. If you took the time to get to know locals you will find that they have a very strong sense of charity and feel a sense of responsibility for those less fortunate than themselves. Yes we all agree that the salary structure needs to change and this process has started but on a person to person level I have seen countless times locals not only giving money but many other things including sending money to their families back in their own country and helping their relatives to come here to earn a living. I suggest that you start to learn the local language and culture. You could invite locals to your house and visit their house where you will see firsthand their generousity. Perhaps you missed the Gulf Times this week where HE the US Ambassador thanked Qatar for its charitable gesture of giving millions of dollars in aid for the victims of Hurricane Katrina? Please don't assume that locals don't care! Get to know them. You're in their country after all. Don't just come here to chase the dollar.

that they take off the service charge - you dont have to pay it thats the service charge thou not the taxes. Its kind of the fat cats way of taking peoples tips from them!! Bitter me no! I have waitressed, bar worked, cleaned etc to get buy!!!

Me and my husband always give tip to these people coz we know a lot of people who's got jobs like these and only get 600 to 1000 riyals and most of them send all their salary to their family...trust me i know, i used to be one of them. So by just recieving a tip from us is really a big deal for them. Even if you just give 10 riyals they'll be very thankful for that.....

Me and my husband always give tip to these people coz we know a lot of people who's got jobs like these and only get 600 to 1000 riyals and most of them send all their salary to their family...trust me i know, i used to be one of them. So by just recieving a tip from us is really a big deal for them. Even if you just give 10 riyals they'll be very thankful for that.....

"best thing to do is take off the service charge from the bill ( you can do this its your right to decide wether to pay this or not) then pay the staff the service charge fee as a tip."

Is that possible? Can a customet deduct the service charge from a bill? Maybe I misunderstood?

I believe that any good service should always be tipped.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Ghandi

"best thing to do is take off the service charge from the bill ( you can do this its your right to decide wether to pay this or not) then pay the staff the service charge fee as a tip."

Is that possible? Can a customet deduct the service charge from a bill? Maybe I misunderstood?

I believe that any good service should always be tipped.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mahatma Ghandi

I agree with most of you. I usually give a small tip to the gas station attendant, grocery bagger, etc... I usually give a few riyals. It sort of depends on what I have. if I have water and cases of soft drink, I tend to give them a bit more. At the car wash place, I give the 10-15 riyals.

Seeing that I waitressed while in university, I fully believe in tipping....IF THE SERVICE IS GOOD! A tip is exactly that...a tip for appreciating good service. it used to drive me crazy as a waitress when people tipped based just on the bill and the miserable cow I worked with would get them same as me.

For the most part, I consider tipping my charity.

and don't forget the poor labourers and such out working in the heat. They often don't have cold water. They really appreciate some cold water and juice. it costs you only a few riyals, it may help prevent them getting dehydrated that day and more importantly......it may restore their faith in mankind...especially since they aren't always treated so well.

i use to run the finance for a major chain of hotels. On bills they will charge the guest say 17.5 % service charge - that doesnt reach the person who say " serviced " you!! It goes to the hotels profits and a small percentage actually reaches the staff who deserve the money. best thing to do is take off the service charge from the bill ( you can do this its your right to decide wether to pay this or not) then pay the staff the service charge fee as a tip.

Much nicer option we should all tip out here its our duty to i believe most people earn very little out here and when you have little you would be amazed how far a little extra can go

Shortly after arrival, I was dining in a popular chain restaurant (not fast food). The bill had a "surcharge" listed, so I asked the waitress if that was the "tip". She shook her head and sadly explained that a lot of people thought that it was, so they left no tip. So, we tipped normally.

The surcharge seems to be the rip-off that takes tip money away from the workers and puts it in the owners coffers.

Isn't it ironic, that in a country that boasts of the "highest per-capita" income in the world, that the common worker is paid so little, and that the other foreign workers are the ones concerning and discussing how much to tip the poor souls.

just to let everybody knows, in a restaurant set - up typically, just like in my restaurant at biella, its not only the server/waiter who benefits from the tip of the generous and kind persons. we divide it accordingly, a share for the person who make your drink, for the person who makes your food, a share for the person who clean the dishes, and of course all the person who are serving. not to mention even the drivers who sent us at our work place benefits from all your generosity and kindness,... in behalf of all service personnel, i'm very thankful to all of the person who treat us with respect, kindness and generosity....

Tipping is a must for me. I am from poor country and I know how small money for some people are nothing but for the rest is really value/big.

I always tipping in Salon, Taxi Driver, Office-Boy, Cleaning Services, Restaurant, my friend's maid, my own Maid or any places or services I used. Please be generous to them, if I may make suggestion here. 5 - 10 riyals is nothing.

And I hope you good deeds will be pay double by GOD.

Money is everything ....

Or

IS love everything

i believe tipping is very important especially for the man who pushes ur trolley, washes ur car etc. A few riyals here and there are not so much for me but for them this amounts to a lot.

If u have sympathy for the plight of a poor individual then express it else u r that stinking rich then express ur dont care attitude

Ti-ping is not a city in China

I usually judge of the quality of service recieved. Unlike many place except in Doha people don't tip as often as they should.

Now probably back home when you got out and do the shopping someone bags your shopping with a smile (and not a grumble) walks you to your car with a smile (and not a grumble)then you tip them well. Personally... if they just to do it for the sake of getting a tip off an expat and you hand them over 2 riyals you'll still see tham standing there waiting for more?!

its like spreading the love!! I tip everyone i can, and we all should. I tip the guys who pack my bags about ten qr once a week, tip the guys who put petrol in my car like 5 - 10 qr, never had anyone push a trolley for me thou - thats what my arms are for!

tip in resturants too,thou not fast food outlets for some reason ( does anyone tip there ?)

we should all tip those who can afford to, people earn very little out here and no matter who you think you are that could be you one day, so treat everyone as if you know them when you are dealing with them in these situations! And always say please and thank you too, you would be amazed how few do!

Don't forget, for many of the service people in restaurants, it is the restaurant that gets the tip not the server.

These guys don't get paid all that well really. I keep talking to office boys, cleaners and my houseboy quite often. Some of these are paid as low as Qrs. 450 per month. Infact, I know of our ex-office/tea boys, their company failed to renew the contract and they were jobless for couple of months. It isn't their responsibility to renew the contract obviously, but the sponsor penalised them by paying just Qrs. 100 per month until they could find another contract elsewhere!

I think we are all lucky and should be thankful that we're paid really well when compared to these guys. I know few would argue that we are educated and we deserve to be where we are. But little generosity won't affect us much.

1. The guy that pushes the shopping trolley for you

A: I PUSH MY OWN TROLLEY, IF SOMEONE DOES HELP ME I PAY QR. 2/- PER TROLLEY.

2. The person that washes your car

A: MY HOUSEBOY WASHES MY WIFE'S CAR. WE PAY HIM A FIXED AMOUNT, BUT ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS, WE PAY HIM QRS. 50 OR 100.

3. The tea boy that makes coffee for you in the office

A: TWICE A YEAR ON EID HOLIDAYS WE COLLECT A SUM FROM ALL EMPLOYEES AND DISTRIBUTE EQUALLY AMONG TEA BOYS / CLEANING BOYS.

4. The waiters at 5-star restaurants

A: 5% OF TOTAL BILL, UNLESS ITS CLEARLY SPECIFIED ON THE BILL, SERVICE CHARGE INCLUDED.

5. The petrol pump attendants

A: I GET MY FUEL FILLED AT WOQOD, GUYS OVER THERE ARE INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN CAR'S WINDSHEILD AND THE BACK GLASS. PAY THEM QRS. 2 FOR EACH VISIT.

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Buick's new car is called 71.

It carries two in the front and 69 in the back

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www.e4u.name.qa

For the car wash, since it's usually 8 QR, I tip 2 QR

For restaurants, I check to see if the tip has already been included in the bill. If it hasn't and the service has been good, I tip about 15 - 20 % of the total. BTW, hotels and some restaurants usually add a surcharge that is NOT the tip so check your bill - you might think tip is included when it's really not.

For the gas attendants, I normally give about 3 QR when I fill up the car (it costs me about 30 QR to fill up).

For the tea boy, I'm assuming the company compensates the person adequately - I haven't been here long enough but I would leave a tip at Christmas and special holidays, something like 100 QR - this also goes for the security guys at my compound.

If someone pushed my cart and loaded the groceries into the car, I'd tip about 5 QR (if someone has to push my cart, it means I must have a ton of groceries).

I haven't tipped the person who bags the groceries since I'm unsure about this one.

I don't know the salaries of these jobs but I'm assuming it can't be much. Be generous when you can.

Tipping does not appear to be customary among the local population. The people who perfom the tasks you have listed typically make between 600 and 1000 riyals per month; when that's the going rate for labor, one might surmise that Qatar is not home to a culture of conspicuous generosity.

I suggest that you go with your conscience, bearing in mind that anything you give will probably be put to good use. With the exception of the car washers, none of these people have any control whatsoever over the prices of the services that they perform. What they can control is the service itself, and I generally use that as the basis for my own calculations.

Those people dont earn much salary and ofcourse they are expecting you to give something for they side money( for lunch, transportation, etc)

Give at least 10% of the price of what you eat..or give reasonable amount..and even better if you give it from your heart without bitching. hehehe