if my coffee is $3,80 and i give $4, i would now insist to get my 20 cents back, this is not worth it. the people dont earn so much money so it should be ok to give something.
at mcd there is an extra box for some african children support, i always put my change in there.

… because my favorite bartenders will make me laugh on even my most difficult days (and there are a lot of ‘em lately), give me the latest bar gossip, comment on chicks with, and best of all- comp me drinks, among other things.

What will I get from the 23 yr. old Starbucks server? Exactly what I ordered… absolutely nothing more.

If I happened to have any loose change in my pocket I'd probably toss it in just to get rid of it, but I try to put everything on a credit card. I've begun noticing a "tip" section on the credit card slips at some fast food places recently, which is annoying only because it means I have to rewrite the total price after crossing out the "tip" line.

Who pays cash or carries coins? Unless it's Presidential Dollar coins. :D

African children support, a needy and worth cause, as are others that one sees sometimes at fast food establishments, and I would not hesitate in throwing my small change in the box for them, Starbucks employees do not fit the same bill, certainly don't have jar for extra coins for needy groups, guess they don't want the competition.

When paying cash (which is seldom), I generally leave my change. I agree that they generally did nothing special to earn it, but they do appreciate it and hopefully will keep motivated to do a good job.

I think one of the reasons people tip is in this country, we really seem to hate coins, especially non-quarters. I find loose change, especially pennies, everywhere. Left in bins at check-points, on top of tables after people finish quick meals etc. When I worked for Enterprise, I'd find coins in the cupholder in at least 25% of the returned rentals.

The cups are there, people think "I don't want these coins anyway" and dump them in. Personally, I don't tip because I like carrying change, it's how I finance my weekly Powerball habit :D

As is often the case, we agree. ^

Growing up in New York City, I never saw tipping of counter employees in delis, coffee shops, etc. The general rule was that if you had waiter/waitress service, you tipped but if you had carryout or self-service you didn't.

Then, Starbucks arrived along with the tip jar. My solution is to always pay by card and in that way, I have no loose change. In fact, SBUX actually encourages this non-cash transaction by the use of their "rewards cards."

This "tip jar" mentality has gone so overboard that I know a car wash that has tip boxes at the start, at the end, and to put the icing on the cake, at the cashier! "Yes, Miss, you did such a good job of taking my money, here's a dollar for you."

As pointed out in Message #23, I usually don't get change when I buy coffee at SBUX because of their card system.

Really? At SBUX? My health insurance costs me almost $1,100 a month. They get it for free. I think doing a job for which a high school diploma is the only educational requirement and getting such a benefit is quite good.

On the other hand, some people, especially in this bad economy, figure that if they have to tip, they can't afford the products at SBUX.



I'm the consumer. It's not my job to make the employees feel good, rather, it's the reverse. That said, I have a great relationship with the staff at my neighborhood SBUX simply by being friendly.

I see the tip cup at places like Bagelboys , unless I need to get rid of the change they gave me. at starbucks or anyplace like that I never leave tips.

Isn't it odd how things vary.

Pret a Manger in the UK, to give one example, allow their staff to give customers occasional freebies, to thank them for their custom. There's pretty much zero expectation in the other direction (and it's a company that still seems to be able to recruit some of the most helpful fast food staff in the country).

To me tipping is a bribe and I don't go to Starbucks enough for a bribe to make a difference. I try not to go to coffee shops in the US anyway, they are overpriced and usually poor quality anyway. Heck Starbucks barely qualifies as a coffee shop anyway, it is more like a dessert shop for most folks.

I tip for good service.

No service = no tip

Getting your coffee (or food) at a counter = no service. That is called self-service.

What about going to buffett in the US? Why do you have to leave tip on the table, or at the carving station, or at the dessert station?

I live in Scandinavia and tipping is not a custom. I absolutely agree that tipping is a bribe - because the person who serve you do a bit more than it's required and that he/she is expecting something in return.

Generally agreed, though I'll give a tip in this case if the person was especially helpful.