What's in a Tip?

Something very small but kind of lame happened today that made me feel like a cheap ass.  I was getting coffee at a place I go to frequently, often spending hours there working and taking advantage of their free Wi-Fi.  Of course, I don't feel badly about hanging out there because I always spend money and that's the idea.  I got something to eat, paid, and was about to plop a tip into their little tip bucket when I suddenly hesitated.  Nobody is looking! 

My pause made me realize that my tip was not going to be worth it if nobody saw me put it there.  What kind of crap is that!  I felt cheap because the point of the tip is that they have earned a little extra because of the good job they do and good customer service.  Tips are positive feedback and a little money as part of an industry that rightfully expects it.  Having survived on tips through a majority of my twenties, I of all people should understand that.  Evidently, I've lost sight of that slightly because my desire to have an employee witness my tipping the tip jar proves that the tip is about "me" in my mind.  So lame.  In part, I'm not getting my monies worth unless I get to "take credit" for my measly tip.  "See, I'm tipping", my subconscious is thinking, demanding something in return.  Lame. 

Having realized that on the spot, I quickly threw money in when nobody was looking as a gesture and personal victory in my effort to be a better person.  In summary, the tip is not to make you feel better.  It's also not a bribe to demand special treatment either.  I sometimes have selfish tendencies, partly from being spoiled and also likely from being an only child.  This was a tiny lesson.  Check yourself and see if you can relate.

Comments

[Matt]

Brutally honest bro - nice work. I too am sort of an only child since a good majority of the time, my siblings had already moved out. Tipping is a funny thing because I believe that one's opinion can largely be based on if they worked in a job where you received tips. I never worked in a job where I got tips and can related to Mr. Pink from Resevoir Dogs about not tipping. I still tip, but since it was never part of my jobs, I can see how sometimes one may not want to tip. I now tip at restaurants where I'm served, but that's about it. All these joints that have the tip cut piss me off because why should I be made to feel guilty when I'm already overpaying for coffee in the first place. Perhaps that makes me a selfish pennypinching jerk, but that's just me.