Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to tip generously if you can. It
Speaker 1: is a fairly easy way to do something positive in
Speaker 1: the world. I want to start this episode by acknowledging
Speaker 1: that tipping in the American context is a little strange.
Speaker 1: It is absolutely expected for some services, and in some industries,
Speaker 1: workers can be paid less than the normal minimum wage
Speaker 1: as long as tips get them over the top. I
Speaker 1: imagine that many of us would prefer that everyone was
Speaker 1: paid fairly in their basic wages and didn't need to
Speaker 1: rely on gratuities. The cost for a meal would be
Speaker 1: the cost. But since that is not the situation we
Speaker 1: are living with here in the US, and it's unlikely
Speaker 1: it's going to change soon, tipping a bit more than
Speaker 1: is expected is one way you could do something good.
Speaker 1: If you have ever worked in a field where tipping
Speaker 1: is common, maybe as a server at a restaurant, as
Speaker 1: a hairstylist, or a driver for a rideshare service, you
Speaker 1: can appreciate how vital tips are to earning enough money.
Speaker 1: So why not be generous if you can be several
Speaker 1: years ago, New York Times opinion writer David Brooks described
Speaker 1: tipping as a small but direct way to redistribute money
Speaker 1: to those who are working hard to earn a living.
Speaker 1: That is a pretty radical way to describe it, but
Speaker 1: I do think he's onto something. If you have more
Speaker 1: than enough and someone else is most likely living on less,
Speaker 1: which may be the case and at least some jobs
Speaker 1: where tipping is common, then tip more than you have
Speaker 1: to and we are one step closer to everyone having enough.
Speaker 1: You can do this even in situations where tips seem
Speaker 1: well illogical. I know that is more places are using
Speaker 1: quick credit card processing machines. They often have a screen
Speaker 1: where you can add a tip. Does it make sense
Speaker 1: that you're being asked to tip at fast food or
Speaker 1: fast casual restaurants or you order from an app and
Speaker 1: pick up your food from a counter. Not really does
Speaker 1: Tipping in those situations sometimes feel awkward or forced. Maybe,
Speaker 1: But when you tip, your cash probably ends up in
Speaker 1: the pocket of a person who may have less discretionary income,
Speaker 1: and that can be a good thing. So whatever the
Speaker 1: context where tipping is invited, tip generously if you can.
Speaker 1: I find that tipping well tends to make you feel
Speaker 1: like you're working from a perspective of abundance. Most likely
Speaker 1: an extra dollar is not that much to you, but
Speaker 1: you and two others making the same choice to tip.
Speaker 1: An extra dollar over an hour is an extra three
Speaker 1: dollars per hour for someone, or twenty four dollars in
Speaker 1: an eight hour shift. That's a week and over five
Speaker 1: thousand dollars a year, which can make a real difference
Speaker 1: in someone's standard of living. So why not help contribute
Speaker 1: to that. It's a great way to put an extra
Speaker 1: dollar to use in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our times. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at iHeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I
Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app Apple podcasts
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Yea.