One question from a stranger at the grocery store changed my stance on tipping

I used to be firmly against tipping. Thought it was the restaurant's job to pay their staff, not mine. Last Tuesday at the Piggly Wiggly in Huntsville, I was loading my car and an older lady in the next spot asked if I had ever worked for tips. I said no. She told me she waited tables for 18 years and said the difference between a good night and a bad night was often just one customer who left a few dollars. She wasn't pushy about it, just said "that dollar means they see me." That stuck with me. I still think the system is broken, but I started tipping 20 percent at sit-down places and a couple bucks for carryout. Has anyone else had a random encounter that changed how they handle money in public?

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rowan59319d ago

…and that's how the old lady at the grocery store ended up costing me an extra 40 bucks a month. But honestly, she's right. I worked a summer at a diner back in college and the people who tipped were the ones I remembered. The rest were just faces. Now I'm over here tipping the kid at the carryout window a couple bucks like I'm some kind of philanthropist. But whatever, it's cheaper than a therapy session and it makes me feel less like a jerk when I grab food on the way home. Plus, if I ever run into that lady again, I can tell her I came around.