Now, before I am accused of just being a heartless, tight-fisted SOB, let me state that I worked in high-school and in college at my share of low wage, service-type jobs. I know that a bunch of us on this board have worked for minimum wage before and I'm just wondering what you think of this:
What's with all the tip jars at every coffee shop, bakery, and pizza place?
When I go to the Home Depot, and the guy spends 15 minutes with me, explaining in detail what I need to do to fix my leaky sink, I say "thanks" and we both walk away happy. He has given me some valuable knowledge, and it's understood that he's being paid to do that.
When I run in to the coffee shop and get a $1.65 cup of filter coffee, which takes about 10 seconds to pour, there seems to be an increasing expectation that I'll toss a quarter or something into their tip jar.
Who provided me the valuable service, the Home Depot guy, or the coffee shop guy?
Maybe I'm making too big a deal of this, but these jars are sprouting up everywhere around here. I usually don't put money in tip jars...maybe I AM a tight-fisted SOB.
