16-Hour Car Rides, Mouse Claws, and Tipping Policies
Would you drive with a friend for 16 hours, just so they didn’t have to travel alone?
My friend Holly recently did.
Holly’s friend Sue had a European trip planned and was waiting to receive her renewed passport. Sue found out that she could drive from St. Louis to Little Rock where there was a big US passport center. (Little Rock?)
The drive is normally 5 ½ hours, but there were heavy storms coming through. Sue’s husband was staying home to watch their young children. Holly decided to go with Sue- just to drive down, pick up the passport, and drive home.
An 11-hour round trip took 16 hours
“I didn’t want her to drive by herself”, Holly said. “We talked and laughed the whole trip- we’ll never forget it.”
Going above and beyond to serve others.
We value that type of service, whether in our personal lives or in business (as the next story points out). At the same time, there’s a trend with business tipping that I find creepy and insincere. I’m more than happy to tip for great service- under the right circumstances.
The Mouse Claw
I work in my kitchen, and I spend some of that time standing at a table that has two can lights overhead. There’s a metal frame in the ceiling around each light socket.
We heard the occasional mouse in the walls or ceiling and I had a note to call a pest control company. As I worked last week, and I heard a scratching overhead. I looked up to see a mouse claw trying to force its way through the metal frame of a light socket.
I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit.
Panicked, I called our pest control company, and the owner was able to come out in few hours, due to a cancellation. He spent over an hour with me explaining how I could make changes to minimize the risk of mice.
Turns out that it’s all about food smells. No smells- the mice give up and go somewhere else, and that’s when the pest control company can catch them with bait.
When he explained how his monthly contract worked, I signed immediately. In fact, I would have paid double, given the amount of service I got.
Which brings us to tipping.
Here’s a tip- don’t force me into tipping
I was a golf caddy for years growing up, and my wife waited tables. We both relied on tips to make money, and I’m happy to tip.
There’s a new trend that makes the process unpleasant.
You’ve seen these new checkout scanners at Panera, Starbucks, sporting events.
I make purchase, and the server spins around a screen so I can scan my credit card. The screen lists “suggested” tip amounts: 10%, 15%, etc.
So, I have two choices:
· Leave a tip and feel taken advantage of
· Don’t tip and experience deep shame
There’s a better way.
Rather than list the tip amounts, just give me the amount owed, and an option to enter the payment amount. If the screen shows $13.50, give me the option to enter $13.50, or a larger amount that includes a tip.
I love paying for great service- but can it just be my idea?