Friday, March 21, 2008

Now it's your turn

It's commonly accepted that anyone whose job it was, at any point in his life, to serve food or drinks will always be a good tipper. Even in establishments like coffee bars which, unlike restaurants, pay their workers at least minimum wage. For over a hundred variants of 'I used to be a waitress/barista/bartender, so I tip well' or 'Bad tippers obviously never worked in food service,' click here.

Has this phenomenon ever been studied? Because I would guess that a stint in food service does not make a person more likely to tip, or, for that matter, more likely not to complain when his decaf caramel latte comes out a bit foamier than he likes it. In other fields, just because somebody once held your poorly-paid position, that's not expected to be any guarantee of good treatment. For every person who sympathizes because he knows what it's like, there's another who feels that if he had to pay his dues, it shouldn't get easier for the next generation.

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