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14 years ago

tipping customs for Mexico

14 years ago
Please tell me about Mexican tipping customs (propinas) as much as you can; feel welcome to write a lot. Also, please say to what extent the propina is obligatory or expected. Please prevent me from not leaving a tip when one was expected/obligatory.

One specific question to start: When a gasoline attendant wearing the Pemex uniform fills up my car with gas and does nothing other than that, am I still expected to tip him/her?

Another specific topic: baggage handling at bus stations. In Tijuana´s central camionera, my Mexican "boyfriend" asked me to give 2 pesos to the man (who was wearing a uniform) who tagged my bags, gave me my corresponding receipt tags, and put my carry-on-size suitcase and backpack in the bus´s lower storage area. I gave the man 2 pesos, but he stuck around like he wanted more, so I have him an additional 2 pesos. I have never tipped to have my stuff stored in the lower part of a bus (and I only bring light luggage). Are we supposed to tip them even when they are uniformed, and if so, how much should we tip?

I realize that the tipping customs vary with location. I have been in Matamoros, Tamaulipas for a few days, and I will be here few more days.

Today I went shopping in a DelSol store. When it came time to check out, a little girl directed me to an open cashier, and then a little boy (about 9 years old) bagged my purchases and took my cart back to where I got it. As the boy was not wearing a supermarket uniform, I suspected that he was working for a tip. While he took my cart to its starting place, I asked a woman if I was supposed to tip him, and she said yes. Í don´t recall having this type of bagging in Baja California. If we don´t want a kid to bag our purchases, can we tell them that we want to bag our own purchases?

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