Tonight I drove through Starbucks for a cup of green tea. I stopped at the posted menu and ordered through a speaker. As I was driving around the corner to pay at the window, I noticed a tip jar on the counter. “Not another tip jar“, I thought to myself as I drove up to the window. For some reason, the idea of tipping Starbucks employees really bothers me. In fact, I find it offensive that they are begging for money when I’m already paying a premium for their product. Shouldn’t the cost of the coffee be enough? Are their employees not paid enough? Why in the world would I tip a Starbucks employee and not a McDonald’s employee? What about 7-11 or In-N-Out? Why not tip the employees at the dry cleaners or Target or Costco? How about Big Lots, Blockbuster, Jamba Juice, or the gas station? How about the checker at Ralphs?
The real question in my mind is why do Starbucks employees think they are deserving of tips. Do they have better skills? Are they offering a special service? Let’s see – I have to wait in line to order (sometimes a long line), pay for a premium product, and then wait again until it’s ready where I finally pick it up myself at a counter. For this, I should tip? Maybe it’s because they are making the coffee drink for me … the whole Barista thing. If so, what about the employee at Golden Spoon or Pink Berry that serves me a frozen yogurt that they made? Or the Baskin Robins employee that makes me a sundae, or cappuccino blast? Should I tip them too? Maybe they all have tip jars … just shoot me.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against tipping in situations that make sense — like at a restaurant. I’ve done plenty of tipping over the years but think that tipping a Starbucks employee is ridiculous! What do you think?
Filed under: Coffee | Tagged: baristas, changes at starbucks, Coffee, compensation, employees, feedback, gratuity, improving starbucks, labor, minimum wage, starbucks, tip jar, tipping, vacations, wages, working
I think that you’re right. It’s about time someone said something…
I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE THOSE COMMIE STARBUCKHEADS AND STRING EM ALL UP BY THEIR VENTES!!!!
VIVA NESCAFE!
I personally don’t mind tipping someone who takes the time to perfect my beverage, put up with all of the bullshit from high maintenance customers and still have the courtesy to smile when they hand me my drink. If you don’t want to tip the kids that are making your coffee/tea, then go home and make it yourself.
I totally agree with you. The tip jars are taking over. I don’t have a problem tipping at a restaurant where I’m being waited on, but if I’m standing in line for a coffee, and then standing in line to pick it up, I’m not going to tip you just to do your job. Maybe I should put a tip jar on my desk at work.
It is absolutely RIDICULOUS to have a tip jar at starbucks, and now it got someone killed, I’m Boycotting Starbucks until corporate gets a fu**ing clue. IDIOTS.
If there were a tip jar at Taco Bell, I’d put money into it. Their work conditions are pretty terrible, and at a really busy location they are going to go through just as much crap as your average sit-down restaurant server, who might be making three to five times the money depending on the situation because of tipping norms. Do people think the good Taco Bell employee really doesn’t work hard? That’s confusing. Maybe they’re not going through crap for you exclusively, individually, for an hour, but really it is for each person who walks in the door. And if your food actually is fast, you’ve got at least a couple of hard-working people in there to thank for it.
But to focus on barista’s more specifically, I think of it this way: “Tip your bartenders” is as common and acceptable etiquette as tipping your waiter or waitress. Why shouldn’t it be? I’ve never worked at a Starbucks, but I’ve worked at other coffee houses and bars and the work can be very similar. Nobody expects the five to ten dollars you would give a waitperson at a restaurant, but fifty cents or even a whole buck if you’re really feeling grateful really means a lot to people whose jobs it largely is to get shat on by demanding, rude people all day. It’s about respecting the fact that someone is in a position of servitude to you. They have literally submitted themselves to your service. And if they’re doing a terrible job, fine. But I’m weird, I tip waiters and waitresses even if they messed something up because I know that it’s very likely they’ve just had a bad day, maybe something in their personal life just got messed up, who knows. At most chains, they’re not allowed to have tip jars, but if they were, I can’t understand why you wouldn’t want to show the people behind the counter some gratitude. Many of them might have families they are trying to support, or some difficulties getting other, better work. “Get a better job” isn’t something you can just go out and do at the snap of a finger, and it’s especially hard to find a job when you have one. I’m not saying cry for the Starbucks employee, but I am saying that most food service workers of any type have willingly put themselves at the beck and call of consumers on a fairly even playing field. If you have chosen to accept the servitude of another human being and you don’t believe that this is worth a little tangible gratitude, then you and I simply come from very different worlds.
Well said.
I tip waitresses and waiters at restaurants because it is customary. In most cases, where tip credit is recognized, restaurants can pay their waiters and waitresses less than the federal minimum wage, and they do. So it is different their, ’cause Starbucks employees get the same starting pay (based on the actual minimum wage), in some cases, they start their employees higher, as the other retail workers.
Maybe you should consider moving to New Zealand
Here we have the convenience of a 1st world society, supposedly free health care and education AND we have never taken to the idea of giving tips. Tipping is very rare and only really embraced by tourists. Minimum wages are supposed to cover all the employees needs (its about $12 (nzd) an hour or something and that includes youth (<18) rates). If you don’t want to move here at least visit, its actually a very nice place. 
Absolutely ridiculous. I shouldn’t pay $4 for a cup of cofee and expected to tip another 25%. ($1 tip from $4 coffee). That makes my grand total $5 for a little caffeine. I can buy a can of Folger’s that’ll last me a month with that!
Tip jars are the worst form of extortion. Why don’t we just decide what the real price is to provide good service. Then just charge me that price up front.
Tipping for a cup of coffee at Starbucks or Peet’s is absurd. I do not know where this concept came from – but it too, shall pass.
I went to subway the other day and they had a tip jar too. while i was paying one of the employees grabbed it to see how much was in it and another saw it and said “damn we only have 3 lousy bucks in there. Since when did it become customary to tip for fast food, and by fast food I mean anything you stand in line to order and normally pick up yourself. this is craziness.
I agree, it’s very odd that anyone should expect a tip for doing their job.
I’m so pissed about this as well. So happy to find others that feel the same as I do. (actually bored at work and arguing with a friend on this topic).
I’m a marketing guy and this whole tipping thing from a large corporate entity is just crazy. Starbucks of all companies knows about the “customer experience”. For me the feeling of guilt, aniexty (tip or not.. and if so how much), is all too stressful during the purchasing experience and adds to a negative overall experience before taking that first sip (tasty).
Starbucks, please remove your stupid tipping jar and relieve everyone (including your workers) of the anxiety for additional nickels, dimes, and quarters. It really creates a bad/poor customer experience!
Thank you for allowing me to rant.
Miki
You should tip to thank them you lazy ass people. All you who don’t tip are cheap bastards.