Member-only story
Tipping People Who Do the Hard Jobs
My philosophy on appreciation, respect, and standards
There are a lot of people we rely on who get very little recognition, yet they do jobs that are essential to making our lives better.
For example, the wait staff at restaurants.
I remember when I was in graduate school, I had a roomate who left a $0.50 tip for her $10 meal. I was appalled. I felt compelled to leave a slightly larger tip to sorta make up for that, even though I was on a tight budget myself.
However, my father taught me to never stiff working people and to always treat them with respect.
As a broke grad student, if I went out to eat, I often ordered water instead of a drink so I could make sure to have enough for the tip.
These weren’t fancy places, BTW. There were chains like Subway that I could afford, and I-Hop for late night study breaks with friends. There were also a few local places with reasonably priced delicious ethnic food.
Now, while dealing with the costs associated with cancer, I can seldom afford to eat out, but I do hire someone to mow my lawn. I can’t do it and the neighborhood kids who would do it for a few bucks moved away.
