Visiting Puerto Vallarta - Part 10

Tipping Guide for Mexico continued:-

Just as in some countries in Europe you may come across a Restroom attendant in some locations, in this case the normal amount is 5 pesos.

A service station attendant who fills your tank and cleans your windshield will expect $15 pesos.

If you are staying in a self-catering condo then you will almost certainly come across another category of worker that is unique to Mexico as far as I know. A special government program was set up that allows young people and senior citizens to work at grocery stores without any payment in order to bag groceries for tips. They are NOT paid by the grocery store and either work after school or once they are past retirement age.

Grocery store packers should be tipped $15 pesos per transaction for a small shop or double if you have a lot of groceries for them to pack.

When you take a walk along the Malecon you will come across sand sculpture artists, street performers and Papantla Flyers. They do not receive any wages for their work so they rely solely on tips. If you stop to admire their works of art or performances then a tip of $30-$45 pesos would be considered OK.

Musicians that are performing at restaurants and bars often rely solely on tips. If you see a tip jar that shows that the musicians are depending on tips. A reasonable tip for a musician: $15 – $30 pesos per customer.

Individual musicians and groups such as Mariachi bands will charge a “fee” when asked to play specific songs. In this case if you have a song request then expect to tip $75 pesos per song.

While all tipping is optional it is most often encountered because of a service someone has performed for you and as such should be compensated in some way. However, there are a couple of situations which I have detailed below where you have not requested this service and therefore it is entirely optional whether you tip or not.

Performers on public bus such as singers and musicians: $15 pesos.

Street performers at stoplights such as jugglers and fire eaters: $15 pesos.

If you have a good luggage allowance for your return flight then you may be tempted to buy some larger items because of the prices.

Mexico is the place that many of the items that you find in superstores like Costco, Sam’s Club and Walmart are made. As all these have stores have locations in Puerto Vallarta it is worth a look. If you do buy large items there are men outside who are ready to assist with getting it into your rental car. These men work for only for tips so $75 pesos is reasonable.

Tipping Guide for Mexico continued in part 11