StarbucksGossip.com posted a link to a newspaper column about tipping at Starbucks, and I had to throw in my two cents. (Get it? Tipping..two cents…okay, it was lame.)
If you’re going in there because the workers brighten your day, or if you’re going in there to work/study/etc for hours on end and you want it to be a fun atmosphere, or if you’re glad that the restrooms are clean, or if your drink is ready by the time you get to the cashier, or if you know the barista’s names and college majors by heart, or if they’ve ever broadened your horizons by suggesting a better way to make your drink, or if they routinely throw in extra shots for you, then you should probably tip.
If you’re going there for coffee and absolutely nothing else, then no, you shouldn’t tip.
But frankly, if you’re going in there for coffee and absolutely nothing else, you should probably go to McDonald’s, a gas station, or your office coffeemaker. If you’re concerned about the expense of tipping, then you should probably be making the coffee yourself at home.
I feel everybody should spend three months working in a service industry like restaurants, bars, or hotels. Doing that time helps you understand the difference between a restaurant where nobody cares, versus a restaurant where everybody cares. Notice I didn’t say “none of the employees” and “all of the employees”: I said “nobody” and “everybody”.
Caring includes the customers because it’s contagious. I almost never get bad service because I’m genuinely excited to meet my server, meet the person who’s preparing my coffee, and meet the people who keep the place tidy. They’re like my employees for a five minute span: I want the best performance out of them, and I can get it by giving my own best performance. It costs a little time and money, but I go through life a dramatically happier guy than the people in front of me in the line who yammer away on their cell phones, mumble their order without looking the cashier in the eye, and dump their money on the counter. Some of these people even care enough to buy fair trade coffee so that a farmer they’ll never see can put clothes on their kids, but still don’t tip enough so that their barista can make it through college without working at two different Starbucks.
Can I be rude to the people behind the counter? Sure! Do I have to tip ‘em? Absolutely not.
But I guarantee you that I get better service, better coffee, and less ulcers than you do.
