Tipping Spinoff - Baristas, Cashiers, Etc.

[Anonymous]

Am I a grinch in general because I never tip counter-service people? (Unless I am sitting and staying at a counter / bar, etc).

I am generous with waitstaff and bartenders, but I just don' think a $5 latte or a $20 pizza justifies a tip. Part of my scrooge attitude has to do with the fact that I was a busgirl and waitress growing up and through college, and I remember that to get a $2 tip on a $10 lunch, there was service involved, not a transaction only.

[Anonymous]

Agree. i never tip for Starbucks, though I feel guilty sometimes.

[Anonymous]

As a former barista, I always tip, though I recognize that it's not considered obligatory. The pay is lousy, the customers demanding and often entitled, the business model is such that you are just not QUITE ever staffed enough to be able to do everything you need to do at the pace you need to do it, and you are on your feet the entire shift. Also, as the drinks get fancier and the food choices more elaborate, the worse it gets for the folks behind the counter.

[Anonymous]

Not unless it's my regular place. When I go someplace regularly, they have my drink ready when I walk in (a low key order by Starbucks standards). So yes, I tip there. But not as a general rule.

[Anonymous]

When I pay cash at Starbucks, I tip, but the vast majority of purchases there are through my Starbucks card or debit card.

If I buy a vanilla skim latte and of those Kind Bars they have at the register, that's like 7 bucks. I mean, it's a snack but it's what I used to pay for lunch (I usually bring my own lunch hence justifying Starbucks a few times a week a little more). It's damn expensive! But I do like to tip when I can, it's just not practical on a card.