A few days ago I had what I thought was a simple conversation with a barista, but oddly enough, it has stayed with me. I met a colleague at a local franchise of a national chain of coffee shops earlier this week. I usually go to locally owned places, but the person I was meeting chose the location. I ordered my coffee and a bagel and the barrista rung me up. Before I had a chance to give her my money, she remembered that there was some kind of special and re-rung the sale, saving me $1.15. I almost always order brewed coffee, so I normally don’t tip at coffee shops unless I place a complicated order or the barrista does something particularly nice. I figured saving me money on a special I knew nothing about counts as doing something particularly nice. I looked around for a tip jar and didn’t see one, so I asked. She told me that they were not allowed to accept tips, but thanked me for appreciating her service.
When I was in college, I worked as a barista. I almost always worked the opening shift and had to be at work at 5am. Being acknowledged was really the only thing that made getting to work at that ungodly hour even vaguely tolerable. I really appreciated getting tips for doing something special for the customers. Not just for the money (which was very helpful, given the low wage job), but because I often felt it was a tangible type of thanks. There were the regulars whose orders I would start preparing when I saw them walk in. I would just hand them their drinks, done just the way they liked them, when they reached the register. Then there were the complicated special requests. I often enjoyed making those because it broke up the tedium of the day. Even so, it sometimes felt like a slap in the face when I would do a great job on a complicated order and didn’t get a thanks, let alone a tip.
I don’t understand why this particular chain prohibits its employees from accepting tips. I have no reason to believe their employees are paid particularly well nor receive any kind of benefits. Their no-tipping policy will, however, reduce the likelihood that I will go back to that particular chain. In the future if someone suggests we meet there, I will even offer a counter-suggestion. I know the business will not miss my patronage. On an average year, they probably take in less than $10 from me. But I will feel better knowing that I have the option to show my appreciation for good service with a tip.