To Tip or Not To Tip

I have a problem with tipping. Every time someone does something nice for me I wonder if I am supposed to tip them.

1. Hold the door open for me to walk through.
2. Point me to an empty parking spot.
3. Help me change a flat tire.
4. Tell me where in the mall the supermarket is located.
5. Help me back out of a parking spot.
6. Wash my car windows in the pouring rain.
7. Say "Good afternoon marm" as I walk by.
8. Wait on me at a restaurant.
9. Point out a taxi for me to get into on a busy street full of taxis.
10. Give me no other choice and take my groceries to my car for me and load them into my trunk.
11. Put your face on my car window at a stop light and stare at me.

We had to go to the Immigration office in Manila last Friday to submit some paperwork and fingerprints. We drove in so we were looking for a place to park. We got to an area and could see that there were about 5 parking spots up ahead. There was a man standing out in front of these spots and he pointed for us to go into one of them. We pulled in and Nate gave him 5 pesos (a VERY small amount of money but what did he really do?!). The man looked at the money and told Nate the charge is actually 30 pesos (61 US cents). Does he own the parking spots? No, he doesn't. Nate told him we would give him more money when we got back. He asked if we wanted the car washed. No, we didn't. When we returned a couple of hours later the man was just finishing up washing our car. Nate got really mad and forcefully told him he did not want the car washed and gave him the rest of the money. Stuff like this really makes me mad.

When we first got here we were leaving the grocery store and needed to catch a taxi home. As we walked outside of the store the side of the street was packed full of taxis and jeepneys. All we had to do was walk in any direction and we would have run into a taxi that would have been happy to take us home. Instead some guy sees us coming and runs up to the nearest taxi and tells us we can have that one. I guess he is like the taxi pimp? Nate gave the guy 5 pesos that time too and he asked for more! Nate just told him that was all he had.

Every single day (if we leave the house at all) we are faced with situations like this and I am never sure what to do about a tip. And if we are supposed to tip, how much? I am sorry; I am not such a moron that I can't see when a parking spot is empty. I am perfectly capable of backing out of my own parking space. I will not pay you for washing my window (and doing a terrible job I might add) when I didn't ask you or even give you permission to do it. Staring at me through my car window like I am some kind of freak show or tapping on my pockets as I walk by to see if I have any change in them will not make me want to give you money.

I know we are more fortunate than a lot of other people are but can you imagine if every time you left the house people washed your windows, helped you find a parking space and then back out again, carried everything to your car for you, etc. You could easily give away $5 a day. That is a lot of money! I can understand giving money to people who are selling fruits and homemade goods on the streets. At least they are offering you something and giving you a choice of buying it or not. I cannot handle people who make up jobs for themselves, don't give you a choice and then expect to be paid.

Sorry, I just had to vent a bit there.

And FYI, I wish I knew for sure about the things I listed above. But I think it might be 1. no, 2. yes, 3. no, 4. no, 5. yes, 6. yes, 7. no, 8. no, 9. yes, 10. ?, 11. ?