More on tipping: Why one man always drops a buck in the Starbucks jar

"It's karma," Daniel Funchess tells a reporter after tipping at Starbucks. What bothers Starbucks manager Paul Leach is tip jars in places where the only service is working the cash register. "Like convenience stores," he says. "I thought, 'You didn't do anything.'" (Arizona Republic)

Comments

[Jesse]

Dude you're crazy -- with what they charge at Starbuck$ these days, I just cant' bring myself to pitch in...

[Tim Mc Hugh]

I always tip a dollar at Starbuck`s and I hate myself for doing it. I have gotton maybe one tip acknowledgement out of a thousand. A real bartender should teach these people protocol. When they see a dollar ( or anything ) go in the jar they should say thank you right then and there. But they don`t. I tip only because Of frequency not drink difficulty. Another shortcoming which infuriates me is the 5:30 am opening time being lagged to 5:40 to 6:15. And then the people don`t let you in then, they make you wait while they prep for the day instead of opening fifteen minutes late already. To wit: Let me in, sell me coffee and catch up on your chores after the customers have died down. You`re already 20 minutes late opening don`t infuriate me by keeping me out the door another twenty while you "get your act together." And what I hate most of all is the way the customers are like sheep and not only not complain but sympathize with the clerks for not prioitizing correctly and serving the customer.

[A guy who thanked the Austin St. baristas in the acknowledgments section of his last book]

I'm a regular at two Starbucks stores in Queens. I sit for hours with my laptop whenever I'm there, so I figure I should stay on good terms with my hosts. I think of it as rent: I buy more than one drink if I'm there a long time, I have conversations with the baristas, and I put the change from my drink order in the tip box. (And yes, they do say thank you when they see it.)

But even more fundamental than the idea of good neighborship through bribery is this: To me, it's a few quarters. To them, it's a welcome little gesture of recognition.

So it's an easy choice. Why not be a force for harmony in the world, especially when it's that inexpensive?

[James Sherrill]

This whole tipping thing is totally out of control in this country. Those freakin' tip cans are like cockroaches in a Manhattan apartment. They're everywhere! Even food cart venders, where you, the customer, make your own coffee have the nerve to display the alms can. At Yankee Stadium, where a bottle of beer goes for $6.50 and a hot dog for $4, there's the tip can. Why can't employers pay their employees a living wage, instead of expecting their customers to subsidise their payroll?
Years ago, during a visit to Japan, I left a small gratuity at a bar. The bartender literally CHASED me down the street to return the tip that she thought forgotten change I had accidentally left on the bar counter. That left a lasting impression.

[WatchfulBabbler]

I'm not a fan of Starbucks -- too dark a roast for my taste -- but I drop by two or three times a week when I don't have time to visit the coffeehouse in my building. At both places, I tip: at the local place because I like the owners and think they deserve the business; at Starbucks because, let's face facts, it's churlish for me to begrudge a dollar or two to someone making seven bucks an hour. (This practice was eventually rewarded when a barista changed my order: same drink, two bucks less. Karma pays, eventually.)

The core issue is perhaps that of a living wage. It's no economic secret that low wages and high productivity subsidize much of our lifestyle; if you think the baristas should be paid more in lieu of a tip, just think of that extra dollar or so as the difference between what you pay now and what you would pay in a "living wage" economy.

For those who feel that they're already paying too much for bad coffee, there's a simple answer: don't go to Starbucks. You're paying for convenience and a professionally-made espresso (Starbucks has the advantage of consistency, even if the company's roasting makes good beans bad). Purchase an espresso machine -- I recommend the Nespresso for convenience and consistent quality -- or a cold drip coffee maker and deal with it yourself.

[sdfsdgs]

i miss strawberry fraps...

[Moe Draz]

I've been a brista for a long time and I know and respect what it takes to make espresso drinks and the art behined coffee. I never expect a tip from a customer but it is always nice to get. But I would never tip at a Starbucks store. I've had my share of horrible drinks from their. I think starbucks employees are ill trained and full of attitude. and I think that their products are way overpriced. I've been inside starbucks stores from New Jersey down to Texas and I've never been impressed with their service, attitude, knowledge or skill level. and I refuse to tip for a latte that looks and tastes like dishwater!

[Mike McB in San Diego]

I received assistance from an employee at a local retail store. I received an email with over 15 questions asking how the employee helped, would I return, and how was my "shopping experience". I found that I had answered most of the questions with "C"; the "what I expected" response. When I go shopping and get what I expect, why should I be surprised? At "McStarbucks" I receive what I expect. A cup of coffee. No more and no less. NO TIP.

When I get my paycheck every month, it is what I expected. When I get a bonus, it is usually the result of my company or department delivering more than what was expected. Make sense?

(BTW, how many of us pull a "venti" dollar bill from an ATM?) The "McNaming" of products is insulting.)

Mike McB in San Diego

[futomaki]

Serving jobs never used to have the jar for "tips" so it is a relatively new phenomenon. Why should the person serving a slice of pizza get a tip? It's part of the job. Starbucks is so arrogant and full of shit anyway. Why not just say "small, medium and large". And what's this room for cream which has morphed into "room for" and now "room". It used to be fine to say "coffee" and then you could put in the cream. I'm not so picky that it must be exactly my way.
But then again that's the Starbucks appeal. Everyone gets everything exactly his or her way with no need to compromise or grow up. And that's the customers' fault as well. How the hell did they even come to known that they needed a half decaf whipped mocha frappucino with sprinkles and 'room for"? The CDs they sell are pathetic, overpriced compilations which take all the soul out of the music and
make it available to people who can't handle more than 9 or 10 of the most insipid examples of otherwise fine artists.
And get the stupid tip jar out of there. It's not meaningless and it's not harmless.
It's part of the barista snotty culture saying, "I deserve more."
The baristas should get with the program and realize that they are just people who serve a cup of overpriced joe.

[barista]

Tipping:

Listne, you ignorant asses who say that Starbucks employees don't deserve a tip are just that, ignorant asses. If you absolutely despise Starbucks and it's employees, why do you go there? 7-11 caters more towards your taste and your intelligence and there are no tip jars there! Get some fucking class, you classless fucks.

[Chickie]

I, too, am a barista, but in a maverick (read: not Starbucks) coffeebar. I treat every customer the same way and with the same respect that I expected when I was the customer at this cafe. I have customers who tell me they check for my car in the parking lot; if I'm there, they stop in. I made an average of $12/hour in tips during the week before leaving on vacation (usually about $5/hour), and when I returned I was hugged and lauded and told that I was missed. My customers missed me more than my family did! I know where I'm appreciated! I never expect tips; I get them because I'm good at what I do and I'm fortunate to work in an establishment where the customers have the class to recognize that. I don't see how someone could begrudge a few cents of change for a tip to someone who's making minimum wage and paying college tuition. You KNOW upon entering a coffee cafe that your drink is going to be in the neighborhood of $5. If this isn't acceptable to you, DON'T GO THERE and DON'T BITCH ABOUT IT.

[ladybug]

this morning i woke up at 5am to get to starbucks and have the store open by 6:30. this was a late morning because today's a sunday...usually the store is open at 6. for the 2 years i've been working at starbucks, i have NOT been selling overpriced cups of joe...i've been mopping up obnoxious customer's messes and cleaning up bathrooms and doing dishes. we sell several different types of coffee beans and i've studied them to know where they come from and what they taste like. i've memorized my customer's names and drinks. and i've trained my employees to do the same. to those of you who think the tip jar is such an outrage - chill out. if you think the baristas are seattle's henchmen sent out to overcharge you for your coffee, by all means, drop those pennies back in your pocket. just keep in mind that while you have the money to be paying for that morning cup of coffee, the barista who woke up at 5am does deserve an ounce of gratitude for everything they're doing to keep the store running, whether you see it or not.

[greg in new yawk]

If they're polite and prompt - toss a tip in the jar, say "thank you" and smile. If they're an arrogant jackass, pass your empty hand over the jar, snicker and smile. It brings all appropriate feelings out into the open.

[Kim]

Just a couple of comments here.
To MoeDraz: judge and generalize much? I too have been to Starbucks and have had my drink not made right and dealt with attitude. However not all Starbucks and all employees are like that just as I am sure not all customers are judgemental assholes.
Having worked in the serrvice industry my whole life, while trying to support myself and go to school, I really appreciate those who tip especially when it is not expected (this also goes out to restaurant customers who tip above the required 15%). Starbucks does not require any tip so don't tip if you don't feel like it and a huge shout out to those who show their form of appreciation (whether it be a tip or nice comment instead of bitching about Starbucks employees making any extra money (though they still probably make less than you do).
And for those of you who "feel pressured" by the tip jar..... I sometimes feel pressured to have a nice body when I see all the hot skinny girls in magazines but that's not what forces me to workout and eat healthy. I do it because it makes me feel good. So if tipping makes you feel good about making someone's day just a bit better then do it. If not, keep your nasty comments to yourself and your change in your pocket.

[Liam]

Bottom Line! Why should 1 minimum wage job get tips while others don't my feelings are that your employer should be paying you what you're worth. Now the owner of Starbucks as a single person made $2.1 Million in 200 not including share holdings and option schemes http://www.purefood.org/starbucks/tycoon.cfm . If your work is worth more than what you're making why don't you complain to your collective bosses instead of demanding that your customers pay twice (once to Starbucks who pays your wages and once to your tip jar that subsidizes your wages). I'm sure MacDonalds and Wal-Mart employees feel they go out of thier way to help customers just as much as you do but noone thinks they deserve tips? When you start tipping everyone who you do business with (dentist, grocer, mailman, cable Guy, Parking Attendant, Toll booth guy, Tech Support, Video Store Kid, etc, etc...) then you can complain until then STFU! we all work and all wish we made more. Kids working at Wal-Mart and MacDonalds are working thier way through school too

[confused]

i'm just wondering why people consistently complain about the prices of our coffees, yet they still come in and buy a cup pretty regularly? i mean, i know as well as the next guy that paying $4 for a cup of coffee is a bit excessive. that's one of the reasons why i got a job there, though. i'm really not trying to start a fight, and i don't want to argue, i just want to know the logic behind it.

[Theo]

I have been a barista at Starbucks for about 4 years now. I do not expect anyone to give me a tip, but it is greatly appreciated if you do. A few things to think about:
1. Baristas do no make much money, but they do work hard. I remember all my regular customrs' names and their drinks. I wake up at god awful hours to get to work and if you are nice to me then I am nice to you.
2. Let's dispell the theory that you work at Starbucks because you must be an idiot! Excuse, but I have had to deal with my fair share of customers who are belittling, condescending and arrogant because they assume that I am uneducated, stupid and am working at Starbucks because I can't get a better job. Well as a graduate student all I can say is that Starbucks provides full benefits to those who work only 20 hours a week and provides the flexibility in schedule that I need to take my classes. So curb the attitude! Everyone deserves respect. No matter if you are a garbage collector or the CEO of a company, everyone's job keeps this world turning.
3. Many people complain about Starbucks being too expensive. First of all, if that is the way you feel, then why do you come into Starbucks every single morning complaining about it? Go to 7-11! Second of all, compared to local coffee shops, Starbucks is significantly cheaper for espresso drinks. And another thing, I did not create the prices for the drinks and I am certainly not putting the money from your drink orders in my pockets! So don't take it out on me.

[Matto]

For me, it's not about Starbucks in particular or expensive coffee or lousy coffee or low-wage employees or hard-working employees or any of that.

It's about whether a person must, should or is expected to tip for counter service. For me, the answer is mostly no. You're the cook and the cashier, but I'm playing the roles of waiter and busboy myself, just like at McD's. When's the last time you tipped the cashier at your local greasy spoon or, for that matter, the chef at your favorite French restaurant? Never, right? Sticking a tip jar under my nose doesn't change the fact that I'm not receiving the kind of service (ie, waiter service) that traditionally calls for a tip.

[donna]

For the barista who thinks people who dont tip have no class, your cursing shows how much class you have. You will get people to respect you more if you show respect for them. Next time I see a tip jar at a starbucks, I will remember your foul language and put my change in my pocket.

Have a lovely day.

[Also a barista]

I think that those of you who don't tip, and despise the very idea, should appreciate the fact that we have tip cups. At least that gives you the option. If there were no tip cups, Starbucks would have to raise its' prices to raise our wages.

[rob]

you people have no clue how hard it is not to snap on idiots that come in and act like they own the place. tip jars keep us baristas from flipping out on all you jerks out there.

[floridabarista]

I've never worked in a Starbucks, and I don't know what their employees get as far as benefits or wages, but I can tell you what I make...I've worked as a server/barista in a restaurant for over two years. I work full-time, and don't recieve health benefit, vacation/sick time. etc. I get paid a flat rate of $6.00 an hour, and our employers expect us to make whatever else we can through tips. Sometimes I do well, sometimes not. I think tipping is a hard concept for people to understand if they've never worked in the service industry. It's hard to do...you get paid shit and get treated like shit by customers. I appreciate tips, and am grateful to get them. In turn, if a server does a good job at a restaurant (where waiters/waitresses make about $2.00 an hour) or if they're making me coffee, I like to tip well. Putting one measly dollar in someone's jar could make their day! That's my two cents, and support local coffe shops! You'll probably find much cheaper, better coffee and service.

[Emily]

Wow, donna, I'm sure you showed that barista who's boss! When you put your change right back into your overfull pocket, I'm sure that that PARTICULAR barista will feel a pinch of pain and remorse, and think to themselves, "My goodness! How could I have so mortally offended donna!"
And then the actual person behind the counter who you have just denied the tip will smile complacently and know that justice has been served.

In case the sarcasm and irony blew right past your head, I'll put it more simply: Take your indignance out on the person who you feel deserves it, not some innocent party. Punishing someone for something they didn't do is, actually, pretty classless. Way to prove your detractor's point.

[Regular Joe]

I used to hang out in a coffe shop (a/k/a small diner) when I was in my twenties. My friends i I drank lots of coffe and ate way too many sugary pastries.

The waitress always kept our cups of coffee filled. after we left she cleared the table. Whe always got a nice tip.

When my children were small y wife an I took th kids to a local Starbucks. we ordered some sort of coffee for ourselves and milk for the kids. There were no clean tables. I asked the manager if a table could be cleaned. He shrugged. we stood there at the counter drinking our beverages. As we left the table was cleared.

Starbucks does not provide any more servie than McDonald's. (Actually less, a request in McD's for a cleared table gets you one.) For the price of an overroasted, too hot coffe I expected to stand in line twice, to order and to pick up the brew, find a table and then bus the table when finished.

What does the Starbucks employee do to deserve a tip?

[Kid Icculus]

The practice of tipping a lowly counter-jockey shows you the sense of entitlement that these "baristas" have. They feel that they are better than the counter-worker at McDonalds who would never even think about getting a tip for performing their job description.

But serve an overpriced piece of crap with sprinkles on it to a god-awful yuppie and all of a sudden you're some kind of latte-artist who deserves special recognition and bonus money on top of your dental/health/vision plan for working part-time as a glorified drug-peddler at a soulless hellhole.

It sickens me that these people would place themselves over other non-tipped service workers simply because they have fallen into the illusion of thinking they actually have a touch of class because they call themselves "baristas" and work at a place that tries to co-opt a pseudo-bohemian atmosphere by acting "hip".

When you "baristas" start tipping the mindless drone at best-buy for his excellent service I'll start tipping you. You neo-socialist thieves.

[Bryan]

My girlfriend is a starbucks barista. She makes $7.25 an hour. If she didn't get tips she wouldn't be able to make rent. Perhaps starbucks doesn't pay their employees enough, but it doesn't change the fact that these hardworking people get paid next to nothing and rely heavily on tips for their basic survival. Stop being cheapskates and start tipping.

[Marths]

I worked as a short-hand cook at the local golf course. My job required me to clean and maintain the area, to work the cash register and to cook burgers. Customers were by no means required to tip but many did. I was very greatful for the tips since I lived mainly off those tips during the summer, and was able to put most of my paycheck away for college (which I am now living off). I noticed several things about the people who did and did not tip. Those who did tip tended to be regulars, they knew me, and were friendly. They treated me as a person and they were the core of the golf course community. Those who did not tip tended to be messier, and not as respectful. They tended not to see me as a person and rather as a machine that did not need respect. I have realized that tipping tends to come from the recognition that the worker is another person trying to get through life. It removes the aura of impersonality that has recently marked this culture and leads to a community feel. This was marked at the golf course and the girl who's customers missed her when she went on vaction.
Also, if starbucks employees were to unionize and protest their small wages the owner would still end up making 2.1 million... any raise in the wages would be passed on to the consumer so that the $5 cup of coffee would be $6.
Unfortunetly, a $5 cup of coffee appears to be a luxury, just as golf is, and to be able to blow $5 on coffee makes a person appear wealthy and able to pay a little extra for tip. It appears very miserly to spend $5 on coffee and then refuse the tip. Other minimum wage paying buisinesses such as Walmart or McDonald's do not have the appearance of being a luxury. Their staff would therefore be unable to stick out a tip jar even though some of those people work their butts off and deserve a tip.

[Meghann]

As someone who recently spent a summer working in food service, I know very well how exhausting and infuriating it can be. For every incompetent, slow, or snide barista, cashier, or fry-cook you show me, I'll show you an overwhelmed newbie who's been tossed into the fray to "learn by doing," who's exhausted from having been up since five doing it, and been yelled at and humiliated by irritable customers for mistakes that usually aren't theirs. A tip, however small, is a welcome friendly gesture in some otherwise very long days.

[Meghan]

I always drop my extra change in the tip bin, mainly because I hate to have change.

okay, i haven't gotten a chance to read all of the comments, but listen:

anyone who says we do less than a mcdonalds employee is an idiot. i've been to mcdonalds, and other fast food restaurants, and the service is basic. at best. i'm convinced they aren't even required to say "hi".

we on the other hand are required to maintain an entire store..this means working the register, making drinks, keeping coffee brewed, washing the dishes, cleaning the floor, tables, outside, and bathroom, and dealing with the yuppies who come in with their loud sloppy children, expecting their latte to be made with 3 and a half splendas, at exactly 185 degrees, and no foam.

i can't recall any time a mcdonalds employee has bent over backwards as we're expected to daily. and i don't expect them to. the expectation at starbucks is that we offer legendary service, and if we give that, then i don't see a reason not to tip. i'm not 'demanding' anything.

furthermore, anyone who says "the coffee is overpriced, you don't deserve a tip" is also an idiot. we don't get anything from that $3 coffee..so, i really don't see why people always try to use that argument.

that is all.

[Shift for Starbuck]

OK we can play this same little game under another heading just as we have from the first debate about tipping. I've worked jobs that tipped and jobs that didn't tip. The last coffee shop I worked for was min. wage and no tips, no health care, no stock options. Starbucks has tip jars a fact of life no amount of whining is going to change it. Do I like getting tips yes I do would the world end if they took away our tip jars no! We get paid and perked way better than most other jobs. Sorry that many of you are so bitter about that. Which, is what it really boils down to is that Starbucks is a good job and we as baristas get paid well and get health care (even part time) as well as stock options and 401K (again part timers get it as well). It galls you to think we get even more money for doing what we do everyday while y'all do your job and aren't tipped. Stop drinking your hater-ade and go apply at Starbucks.

[Safeway barista]

Just some extra info: I can't receive tips at my licensed Safeway Starbucks. Safeway starts you at around $7.25 unless you have experience. I've been there for a couple years and make $12.90 an hour to be a barista in a little kiosk. I don't have to worry about flexuation in my tips week to week & the customer doesn't have to spend more money. As long as I work 80 hours a month I get full benefits plus dental for my family of four for less then $20 bucks a week. $37 per month for union dues. Sixty hours per month if your single. My thoughts are just...well heck!! without tips I'm pocketing more then those baristas & my customers are saving money! Heck with all the debit & Starbucks card use, if you don't have change $$$ those baristas are getting tipped -less & -less every day.

[coffeeNed]

I never tip, or almost never. I object to all forms of joint or "group" tipping. I've never put money in a tip jar, anywhere, EXCEPT for musicians -- but they are using the tip jar as a way to accept the money, because they can't stop playing to take it!

Tipping is bogus. Management should simply pay workers a decent wage. WOrkers ought not have to beg or be dependent on charity or the good will of customers. They work, they deserve to be paid.

In a restaurant or bar, I tip, and tip well. But that's a system that is impossibly well established. I also get to tip individuals, who aren't required to share the money, other than a slice or two for the busboys.

I'd be glad to tip a barista if I could figure out what, exactly, they are doing for me. Other than making the drink that I'm paying for. Maybe I should tip the 2nd shift at the GM factory, where they made my Chevy pickup truck?

[jon]

did you tip the guy that opened you 4 dollar bottle of beer at the bar last night? Because that was tough compared to making a latte

[katie]

I am a new barista to Starbucks and I appreciate all the tips that I make. They pay for my gas and my food for the week. And I actually say thank you to every person who puts in some money in the tip jar, whether it be 15 cents or 2 dollars. I try to be pleasent to every customer and I think I'm a pretty good barista.

[Scott Mcdonald]

Four points, I have been to Italy, and France and I have to say Starbucks is the closest you are going to get here in the states, hands down. The so-called Maverick shops schlep crap, I have yet to get a decent cappuchino at a maverick.
Two, you tip a barista, period, end of story. Any comparison between a barista, who can make a half way decent drink and a Mcdonald's counter employee is laughable.
Americans are cheap bastards, that is a known fact. Tipping anyone in any industry is done half- heartedly, and never the correct amount. Americans in general have no class or tact, in particular the upper crust. Never confuse money with class. I am an American and I can recognize this in my own society.
Fourth, I suspect the same people who complain about tipping a barista are the same people who are so cheap and greedy that they refuse to pay a living wage to a very specialized food industry professional.Any fool can pour a cup of coffee, but it takes a real ignorant jackass to state that the same skill level goes into making a dinkable latte. These people are your usual run of the mill middle manager types who have way more arrogance than brains, and so low class that they wouldn't know a good cup of coffee, bottle of wine, or food worth eating if it jumped up and gave them a haircut.

Just a thought: I stood in line this AM for my grande nonfat and watched. The barista at the counter greeted everyone with a smile, took their order, called it to the person who was making drinks....pretty normal. But there were several classless jackasses who I recognize from the posts above that seemed determined to ruin her morning.

When it was finally my turn she greeted me as she had everyone else and I commented, "Having a rough morning?" She replied, "Nah -- everyone else is. I'm just trying to make theirs a little brighter."

I've never ever seen such a great attitude at a McDonalds. Moral: if you see your barista as no better than a McDonalds counterworker (no disrespect intended); please stay at McDonald's because I suspect you will treat her that way. It's embarassing to see that kind of treatment in an establishment that tries to distinguish itself. And these kids can only keep their chins up for so long before they DO become no better than the rest.

[Frank]

To all of you whiny Starbucks baristas... If the pay and the bennies suck so bad, why don't YOU ALL do something about it and either work within the system at Starbucks and get better pay or get a DIFFERENT JOB! Don't bitch when I'm not feeling like filling your beggar cup with my spare change.

[Barista to the Stars]

Hey Frank -- keep your spare change. Don't need it and with your attitude, don't want it. The people who CHOOSE to tip do so because of generosity of spirit -- a concept that clearly escapes you.

Hope I've never encountered you in MY store. I never want to think I've joked around with someone who thinks I'm a beggar.

Barista to the Stars

Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip Don't Tip

[Zack]

Word to the wise

Tipping Baristas; is like feeding a stranger's cat warm milk; once you feed them they will never leave.

So by not tipping them, your actualy doing them a favor and they will eventually go find a better job.

Stop your Begging unless your Homeless!

[John]

I cant believe people argue over this. Get real

[Chi-towns best/angriest barista]

you know why we argue? because tips are a bg deal to us baristas. especially those of us who are students as well as employees. i, for one, depend on my tips for grocery money each week since my paychecks are all taken up by rent, bills and school things. good tips = good food. bad tips = peanut butter and ramen noodles all week. it's a big deal when you're scraping to make ends meet, so please be nice and help me out? thanks.

[Gary]

that's right john. tips definately do help out with gas for me. and for the guy who said that we don't appreciate tips. i say thank you if the person gives me $5 or 4 cents.

[Ron]

So basically, you're all saying "You should tip because then I get more money I can spend" ? I don't understand why you're all clarifying that if you get tips, you can buy gas with it. I think we all understand that. The tips help you financially. I understand.

Personally, I never tip. It's a fast food place. It has a drive through, for instance. You don't tip at a fast food place. We're not talking about the greatest food ever made anywhere, this is average quality coffee and food. I'm not complaining, but I'm certainly not tipping. When I was younger, I made minimum wage, too. 6 months later, I asked for a raise, and haven't seen minimum wage since. That's how most people make money, if Starbucks will not reward your work then go get a better job. This is America. There are jobs EVERYWHERE, and if you can't find one, you can start your own business. Good luck

[Melody]

I almost always tip. I usually tip the spare change from whatever the beverage purchase is. So my short drip coffee in the morning is $1.42 and the barista gets 58 cents. On occasion, I've tipped more. In MY regular Starbucks where I'm greeted by name, and the baristas work SO hard to make sure everything is perfect I've tipped more. I've left ones, tens, and twenties, and on one occasion I left a crisp $50 in the tip jar. But usually, it's just the spare change.

[Melody]

Well I see someone bumped a really old topic, but I still think it's very good karma to tip. :)

[Susan]

I tip when I receive table service, no tips for counter service/fast food. Sorry, but servers in my area live on tips, not the $2-3 an hour salary.

[bob]

I've been to Starbucks once or twice. I would say the experience was more negative than positive. I avoid caffeine, and hate the taste of coffee. When I asked about drinks that contained neither coffee or caffeine, the person behind the counter talked way over my head with a bunch of words that I didn't understand. I guess I'm not sophisticated enough for that establishment.

I ended up getting something like a strawberry milkshake which was good, but pretty expensive. It cost about $4.

I don't recall seeing a tip jar on those trips to Starbucks. I tip pretty well at resturants where I'm waited on. I also tip about 20% for haircuts. If the place where I get my hair cut starts putting out a tip jar to remind people to leave tips, I think that would offend me to the point that I would stop tipping.

According to Yahoo, Starbucks has 725 million shares of stock outstanding, and they made 0.888 per share (in the last fiscal year), and they have 8505 resturants. If the resturants are open 365 days a year, then each one earns an average profit of $207 per day (assuming all of the corporate profit comes from the resturants).

Maybe that leaves some room for wage increases and maybe it doesn't.

I have been to many a Starbucks across this country and I must say that as a partner I will only tip if the partner(s) are giving legendary service. Thats what is sorely lacking in the stores. LEGENDARY SERVICE! What I have noticed is that in the northeast usa the partners are not particularly friendly. One store was absolutely dreadful...and i took a comment card, filled it out, and mailed it to seattle. MT. Kisco, NY. The worst service, the worst tasting drink, very long wait, and the list goes on.
Best store i've been to is in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Wonderful partners, friendly, efficient, eager. Anyhow if partners across the board gave legendary service, maybe tips would be better andpartners such as myself would gladly leave a dollar tip or more. BUt until then the northeast needs to get its asses into legendary gear.