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Q: Why do service people always ask for "lingqian" when I pay for a meal?
[start rant]
I ate at a restaurant yesterday, and my bill was 69 RMB. My girlfriend handed the waitress a 100 RMB bill, while at the same time I was giving her my 40 RMB part of the bill. The waitress saw that I had small bills, and proceeded to get annoyed when we told her to use the 100 RMB bill.
Are waitresses really that lazy that they won't get 31 RMB in change? In general, why are Chinese people so anal retentive about having exact change for things? It is quite annoying that ATMs only have 100 RMB bills when no one wants to break them.
Is there some basic cultural element of these exchanges that I am missing?
[end rant]
the same happens in my country too ..i strongly believe that the waitress should have been extremely polite as she was asking for a favour .. its your decission if your want to give her lingqian or not ..
in case you have lingqian why bother her ?
The attitude of 90% of Chinese waitrii (plural) is shocking. They don't hesitate to bitch about change, or if you ask why your food is taking so long to come they don't even look at you when they shout back their response (usually "ma shang, ni shao deng!"), and even in high-end restaurants the manager or waiter NEVER comes over to check everything is to your satisfaction.
Even in the smallest pubs or cafes in the UK the waitrii are trained to do this, to check that everything is alright. It's a small touch but one that makes a world of difference. The sooner China learns this the better.
But I suppose there will be people on this thread who defend China and say that it's "their culture, don't expect them to be like the West in this respect." If I wanted to be treated like a piece of shit at the dinner table, I would go to my sister's for dinner. I shouldn't have to expect this treatment in one of the richest most powerful countries in the world.
think services annoying ? do they ask tip in china ?. hehe 
No, tipping won't fix anything. I've heard that it comes across that you think the waiter/waitress is poor and can be seen as offensive - they're not beggars, they have a job.
Also, I have NEVER received service that I would tip for, EXCEPT at a few high end places where a gratuity is already included.
Everyone has 100's
Smaller bills go out quickly in making change.
They are always seeking change from any source available, even customers who can pay with less than a 100.
It you had a business you would be very sympathetic.
Before working in the business i currently work in, I worked in Larry's potato shack as a waiter, back in Montana, 'Merica. It was fun because this is were i met everyone. Patsy - she has a garage - was the nicest one in the bunch of regulars. She would always order a double-cheese with bacon, no tomatoes, with a double portion of french fries and a strawberry shake.
It was a small business but it was really fun. But sometimes, our cash register would be low on change, and I had to anticipate when the regulars that paid with big bills would come, so I have change for them. It took a lot of calculation, but being able to adapt to every situation is quite my forte, with my traveller's background and all...
So I understand how waiters can be upset when you use a big bill when you got smaller change. It's a matter of convenience for them, and who knows, maybe they have their own Patsy coming just after you!
