I'm in Vienna right now visiting! most austrians tip just like you explained. (They call it "aufrunden")
Its way to little for their services.
Of course I want them to laugh and be happy when they take home there hard earned cash.
Just not agreeing with your goofy comment about "American tourists who tip too much are not well thought of". It's just stupid. Everyone likes a good tip. lol
Sorry prime, you are wrong
Don't be sorry. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe in the many times I visited Germany, I got it wrong. This is what my son told me. As I mentioned before, he has lived in Germany for more than 25 years and has a German wife, three grown children, many German friends and a huge extended family. Maybe he's wrong too.
I take it you probably travel there on business or you are a frequent tourist. Do you visit the little towns as well as the big and small cities? My son and his family live in a small Bavarian village 20 k outside of Würzburg. Even though he works on a military base in a large city, his experiences may be very different from yours.