Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


Why tip for lousy service? :) I only tip if the waiter has dropped my food on his way not more than once!

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


I take it as a joke obviously. But for the sake of clarity: we all here mean tip as German Trinkgeld, Polish napiwek ,n or bakshish. Not advice, porada...


I liked your last inputs F stop.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


The topic was about POLAND and tipping in Poland. Enough of comparisons with American tips, as it's a different story and completly different system, please.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]



-well, if you and Convex want to talk about tips in the US then start another topic, because this one is about this phenomena in POLAND - as the thread implies ("Giving tips in Poland").

we can compare it with other countries, but it is more relevant to compare with European countries. You just focused too much on the US probably.


- that's a real insight! :))

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


-Fine! I'll meet you there;)
What's wrong in keeping to the point of the discussion? I didn't want to read too much about wages and regulations in the US as it has got nothing in common with Polish reality. As I said it's good to compare, but I think some guys went (you?) went on to far with digression. Off topic.

But really, thanks for insights on earnings of US servers etc. - still it has little correspondence with tipping in Poland.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

duh! ;)

Food / Do you call it kiszka or kaszanka? [61]

Kiszka or rather kicha in Poznań lingo means almost all sort of smoked sausages etc. (kiełbasa)

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

Yes it's a filthy practice. I think I've read somewhere that it has to be written in the menu or stated before by the staff if they add the tip (or any additional fees) to the basic price.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


Appreciate that;)!
Also I agree with your comment on my last post. Comparing is good. I just don't want to delve into US tipping. And definitely not transfer those habits to Poland.

Food / Do you call it kiszka or kaszanka? [61]

Yes, but bear in mind that when a guy from Poznań says kicha he means usually any sausage. It depends though...

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


People here do pay tips, not all however. But most of us here wonder if service should be subsidissed additionally (tip). Why doesn't anyone give a tip to e.g. a nice shop attendant/check-out lady? Their job is often far worse than servers' and nobody gives them extra money just for being good at their job. It also counts I think, as whenever I forget to weigh vegetables in a supermarket the check-out person goes to do it for me, which is not common in all places (they'd send me to the back of the line) - and I should tip them but I don't think they'd even accept it.

Check out Australia as King Sobieski wrote - US tipping is not probably the pattern to follow as it just spins the vicious circle, that's all. If waiters were paid decent money, the tips would be a reward, as they should be in the first place. In AMerica it went too far, and also the tax system there described above is supporting this. Since there's no such thing in Poland why follow artificial trends? Tipping for good, or even average service I'd say. But not as almost obligatory thing!

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

Ok, how about barbers? Do you tip them? Sounds a bit ridiculous to me to leave a tip if a friend of mine was getting her hair dyed and cut, paid 280 PLN for 2.5 hour service. For me tipping a barber was always not in the right tone, but maybe I is just me. A few books on savoir vivre actually say you don't tip barbers in Poland...

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Nothing changes the fact "poszłem" sounds terribly. Same is with introducing yourself starting from your last name: Kowalski Jan. It is still common amongst low-educated people and mainly by older generation (I percieve it as a post-effect of communistic regime where it was a standard, like citizen Kowalski Jan). But now, and for a quite long time, it is always the normal form: first name first.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


Yeah, and never take a leak from the windward side (every sailor knows that!)

But comming back to the matter...

Over the past couple of years I've been practising a habit of giving extraordinarily high tips (>30%) at the first visit in a place I liked and planned to come again. In most cases it also worked for me as a client later.

Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

I'd object to the third one, but if you agree i'd exchange this for not-so-good quality of service.
On the other hand there are exceptionally good services in other places.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

So for normal, decent service how much would an American tip in Poland?

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

I don't think they'd be surprised. It is common in Poland. But not common to everybody to give tips. 10-20% is my standard too.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


I really like that idea! The staff is pleased with tips, and you are pleased with 4th one on the house. Super! I haven't noticed that in Poland unfortunately (only once maybe, in a Poznań bar)

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


Well yes, but any way it looks better, doesn't it? When you're a regular client and every 4th, 5th or whichever is on house then you feel better. And I hope they do not pour water to cocktails - not to good customers. It may be naive, I know, but I'm sure it's not like that everywhere.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

Thanks a lot FUZZYWICKETS for that explaination!
I'd say more bartenders like that (professional) in Poland and it will be perfect.

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


I see it was nice but it surely happens in Poland also. But not so often, that's true. Most common reason: not well qualified bartenders (or should I rather write "drink pourers").

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]


That's probably the issue. But I know a few exceptions that may keep the balance :)


I'd put it for his lack of awareness and no knowledge of intercultural differences. He probably intended it to mean: "oh, so you must already know a lot by now" - without meaning anything wrong. What he didn't know was that it could've sounded exactly like you recieved it. And (I'm almost afraid to ask)... did you leave him any tip? :))))

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]


Not quite on the first.
You must learn to distinguish dysorthorgaphia from misspelled words on keyboard or even haste. Thanks for a smart-ass comment.

Pofficer: I admit that that my post you took excerpts from was written lousy, due to haste. Try to focus on the message then;)

Life / Giving tips in Poland [235]

Yes, I think we can make this generalisation. But still there's quite to learn for some - even in restaurants in the very centre.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Again like I wrote long before: Have you all read this article about the hardest language? It's rubbish and contains false data. If someone makes such judgements based on poor quality research and (I guess) no comparative linguistics skills then... what value has such a statement?

My brief thought is: Polish is hard but rather not the hardest, Hungarian, Finnish or Czech are also hard to master; complexity of language forms is an advantage to the users not a handicap, English native speakers who don't know at least 1 or 2 other languages (with preferably one non-indoeuropean and one from other language family than Germanic) are not the best in comparing language and their qualities (unless they have aptitude towards studying grammar of languages etc.)


that's the famous L.Wittgenstein's thought and it is true especially when comparing languages. The more of them you know (learn at least) the more world you understand.

Magdalena: Can you explain this to me please: "Because no other Slavonic language has inflections, genders, or tenses. And no other language has them either..."

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]


I am familiar with the concept;). more truely I am usually full of it. You might want to practise being more understandable with your sarcasm or you''ll be getting close to being misunderstood more often, Miss Magdalena the Linguist.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

... and following Spimo's thought maybe s/he speaks a language even harder than Polish and even more of his/her IQ was consumed for processing the language and less for thinking.

News / Do Poles in Poland really feel betrayed because there won't be any US Shield? [288]

Having this system installed in Poland would give this country nothing but trouble: this would instantly cause Russia to direct a some of their missiles to Poland. Also it will not protect Polish teritory nor their neighbours so why the heck get into prospective trouble with Russia and tighten the relationships (language of diplomacy calls this actually butt-kissing) with the US instead with some European countries. For now it seems that Polish foreign politics are aspiring to make Poland the 51st state, regardless of the relationships in the rest of Europe.

I share the rather sceptic views of prof. Roman Kuźniar on that, he's an expert in this field

Off-Topic / To ALL IMMIGRANTS ("expats") to Poland on this forum... [124]


There. I'm packed. But flights have been cancelled.

News / Do Poles in Poland really feel betrayed because there won't be any US Shield? [288]

Who knows [Putin does;)]? Right now I guess there are little or no missiles and there'll be a hundred if the shield stands. But I assume they will not be used - what I mean is that together with the missiles the politics will change and talks with Russia will be different i.e. worse.