I need to vent something here for a minute - so please bear with me.
I buy coffee only on the weekends, and I go to a Dunkin' Donuts near where I live and pull up to the drive through, order my large coffee and then pull up to the next window to pick it up.
As you pull up to the window, you are directly in front of a BIG cup that says: Gratuities for Exceptional Service. This thing irritates the living heck out of me. More than once I have pulled up and the counter person is arranging the dollars bills so that everyone can see them. More than once my change has not even been offered to me, they seem to ASS-U-ME that whatever change I was going to get, was going into that tip cup.
I don't think so sparky.
Gimme, gimme, gimme back my change.
I like to think of myself as a pretty good tipper. Having been a hairdresser in a former life(yeah...I really was), I know what it is like to work for tips. I've had friends who have worked in restaurants who get paid less than minimum wage because they work for tips. When I go out to dinner and someone is waiting on me hand and foot...preparing my meal, bringing it to me, cleaning up after me...I am VERY appreciative of that service and I will tip accordingly.
I just had some trees in my back yard trimmed and pruned. The crew climbed trees, worked with chainsaws, cleaned up my entire yard and were really, really NICE people! I gave each of the guys that worked on that job a tip! They deserved it.
But...this tip cup...strategically placed right at eye level so you feel "guilted" into giving a tip really insults me.
I mean...what service are they really providing: they are pouring my coffee into a Styrofoam cup and handing it to me. They don't give me a stirrer unless I ask for it, they don't even give me napkins unless I ask for them. I don't think that is very good service...never mind "exceptional service".
Occasionally, I buy a donut or a muffin or a cookie. So...gosh...that's an extra 2 or 3 steps I've added to the counter person's JOB!!!
A large coffee where I live comes to $1.97 (incl. tax).
I give them $2.00
They can have the .03!
Don't spend it all in once place buddy.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Gratuities for Exceptional Service
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5 comments:
1. I agree with you. In fact, I'm all for paying more for a service or food and foregoing tips altogether. That way, servers are paid a decent salary instead of getting jipped by some cheapo.
2. What's the worst hairstyle you were asked to cut by a customer?
Well...I was a hairdresser when women were wearing the "asymetrical" look. The hair was shorter on one side than the other. It looked like everyone was tilting their heads!
My worst hair disaster was perming a young girl with very long blonde hair. I asked her several times what she used to lighten her hair and specifically if she used "Sun In". She emphatically denied using that product and when I took all of the perm rods out...her hair came with it.
She cried...I nearly cried.
It was a really bad day.
oh...and I didn't get a tip from her either.
I wonder why?
Bad service at Dunkin--is that a national trend? I've long since stopped patronizing the dunkin chain except in very rare, exceptional circumstances. I'm beginning to feel the same way about SubWay. Just as well. I have diet goals to maintain.
Me tipping--cause you showed up to work...nope, that doesn't work for me. Sorry.
I have such an issue with this. I hate it when people expect me to tip them for something that is their job to do anyway! I'm with you - I'm not tipping someone just to ring me up.
I do tip my stylist well, and I take care of servers who do a good job.
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