Tipping for Starbucks?
Do you tip at Starbucks or similar coffee shops? I tip at restaurants but rarely, if ever, for what is essentially counter service. I wouldn’t think of tipping at Dairy Queen so why do coffee shops have tip jars?
At Starbucks, I think I’m already paying for the product and service I receive. Heck, I even have to get my own lid.
The trigger for this post is more site specific. Today I went to the Starbucks at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon. For those who don’t know, this Starbucks franchise is owned by Saskatoon Health Region. The employees are all union members (CUPE, I think). As such, they make substantially more per hour than “baristas” in other coffee shops in the city and yet they have an official Starbucks tip dish by the register. Tipping an union employee? Seriously?
I just realized … with the tip jar by the register, I’m expected to tip before I’ve even received the product! Even better.
I’d like to suggest that they change the “tip jar” to a jar to collect change for a charity.
The Starbucks in my town has a tips jar that they donate to charity. It’s one of those in a supermarket. The problem I have with that, is that the supermarket gets all the credit for donating the tips people mean for the baristas. I like the charity thing, but I don’t like how the store claims “they” are donating! It’s the employee’s tips right? I think that the store at least should double the tips and then donate them on behalf of both the employees AND the store.