Tipping

I've been reading through the Waiter Rant blog (link above) archives. Two posts right in a row -- one about tipping baristas and the other basically about jackass customers causing the people around them to tip less -- caught my attention for a little longer than most and got me thinking.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a great tipper. When I tip, it's usually around 15%, but can vary from 10-20 depending on the overall cost of the meal and the service; but then again, I don't make a habit of going places where tipping 20% is the norm, either. That said, I'm not even halfway through the archive and I'm already making mental notes to bump my normal tips a bit.
But the story about a jerk customer negatively affecting his server's tips got me a bit introspective. Two reasons; first, I try not to be that guy. The Waiter (author of the above blog) generalizes them as Yuppies; basically, the "I'm right, you're not; everything must be the way I want it and if it's not there will be hell to pay" guy. Anyone who has worked anything resembling "customer service" knows at least one. If you're my server, I try not to be your that guy for the day. And if that guy is in your section while I'm there -- and the service is still decent -- you can almost be assured to be palmed a extra fiver when I pay the tab. Doesn't sound like much; but when my bills normally come out to $50-60, it is what it is.
But the tipping for baristas sent me back in my own mind. I know it's their job to make those ten-option drinks[1]; but I still feel slightly bad ordering anything more complicated than an iced latte. Besides, your barista is your friend -- or at least you should treat her like she is. Especially if they're busy and you're intending on ordering something more complicated than "Large Coffee, Black".
Which is why I've started wandering a little further down the road from the Starbucks I usually frequent[2]. Usually I try to be as economical as possible when I go shopping: it's about a four hour drive to Wichita and back; even a "quick" trip might as well be an all-day event. Besides, I get lost in downtown Wichita (Kansas City, I can handle, but I just haven't got the hang of Wichita yet), so I tend to stick to the outskirts and places I know. That means -- for me -- Maize, Tyler, Rock and Kellogg. And since Maize Road has the distinction of being the closest to street to home with restaurants and a grocery store, it tends to be my last run when I'm in the "big city". Plus, on the way out of town, we tend to stop at a grocery store, and because of the location -- and since the wife really likes the chicken and gnocchi at Olive Garden that's across the street -- we usually ends up at the Maize SuperTarget.
And inside, there's a Starbucks.
Great location, too... I can grab the few things from SuperTarget we can't get here or in Great Bend, then grab a humungo coffee for the 2 hour trip home (usually with a pit stop in either Hutch or Stafford). But the last few times, I've been driving back through the shopping center (which basically amounts to a 5-block long strip mall) to get to the stand-alone Starbucks on the other side.[3] I've done this for one very important reason.
The in-store Starbucks (or, more likely; Target, which leased space to the Starbucks) wouldn't let me tip the barista.
Now, I haven't always tipped baristas. Mostly because of what I normally drink: either black coffee or iced coffee. And there, I'd tell the wife what I want and hit the restroom; by the time I got back, she'd already taken care of the tab. But when the barista told me that, my mouth kinda hung open. I was really shocked -- though I had noticed the lack of tip jar, I'd just chalked it up to the majority of customers being credit cards instead.
We kinda stopped going to that one after that. There was always an excuse -- it's raining and the stand-alone has a drive through; it's getting late and I'm pretty sure they close the in-store shops early -- but I was of a mixed mind. On one hand; good for Starbucks/Target (the baristas always had Target branded nametags, so I assume they were actually Target employees rather than Starbucks) for paying the baristas enough they didn't need to rely on tips. On the other, if an employee is good at their job, and goes out of their way to make me want to come back (and then spend more money), why can't I -- as the customer -- thank that employee as well? Money may be a base way of saying thank you; but last time I checked, thank you cards don't pay the rent.

[1] You know, the ones they make fun of in the Dunkin Donuts commercials. Yes, I know it's how they make sure the customer gets exactly what they want. But I never know when to actually quit ordering. I've actually gotten intimidated by listening to the guy in line before me order... instead of a cup of coffee, I wound up with a venti half-caff vanilla macchiatto with extra foam.
[2] I say frequented. Not quite accurate, since it's not a daily, weekly, or even monthly thing for me. It's when I make it over to Wichita -- usually once every two or three months.
[3] Yes, there is a Starbucks about 5 blocks from a Starbucks. Don't believe me? Check Google Maps "Starbucks, Maize KS"; between 21st and 29th on Maize. Apparently, if you go down the road a ways, there's another 3 on Central between Maize and Ridge; and another couple on Maple. All west of I-235.