tipping....

one of the things one notices in the west is tipping.

As far as I could gather, every service from taxi rides to tourist rides had a ingratia tip involved. determined by doubling the tax amount (if any) rendered on a service.

Not that I disagree with tipping...it has its place and need...
its just that in the east a tip is not expected.
The philosophy in the East is that one is just rendering his/her 'duty' and that is what is least expected of him/her.
So the question of an added emolument is not expected following the discharge of any service.

In contrast in the west the concept is that a tip is mandatory & expected which leads one to gather that any service rendered is done as a favour and not of a sense of duty - ergo the tip.

But then maybe its a another way of empathizing that a livelihood is tough in the west and so patrons make that up by tipping.

hey, maybe its a little bit of both....

which brings me to a tipping episode at the barber.
a haircut in the US would be at US$ 12, tip would be another US$ 2 or so.
but my cousin believes in giving more, he tips about US$ 5, if he buys some hair care product or cream the tip would increase as he would tip based on the entire bill.
I happen to ask him on his generosity.

he mentioned that a good tip generally results in a good haircut.
I don't know about that, most of the folks I met in the US did not have a hair cut but a crew cut - one where the hair is close cropped to the scalp - I wonder which barber would go wrong or mess up on such a hair cut for that matter crew cut.

Anyway the fundamental tenet here is when the barber does a good job is when you would be encouraged to pay a tip, if he does a bad job forget tipping him; I ain't going back to him.
That is the fundamental tenet of business, a good product or good service generates revenues or for that matter a tip: and not the other way around where a good tip generates a good service or product.

as a matter of note, my cousin is in Finance in an Ivy league Business school.
maybe business fundamentals have changed....maybe that is how business is done....I could be dated as I am from the old school of thought.....