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Comment by alistairSH | Hacker News Reader

...a family bought over $100 worth of tickets and food...

I'm not sure how this theater is arranged. My local theater serves beer/wine and some heavy snacks. But, it doesn't have table service. Just the typical counter service. I've never tipped and always assumed the counter staff is earning at least minimum wage (no different than buying a latte at Starbucks).

The few times I've gone to a movie theater with table service, the tickets and food/drink were separate bills - tickets purchased in advance of the showing and food/drink ordered during previews/ads. The food bill would be tipped like any other restaurant with table service.

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I was a Starbucks barista for a year (2000), and customer tips were an important part of my take home.

I think most people think like you, because at the time I calculated my average tip was 5 cents per customer, but that still raise my hourly to something I could almost afford to live on (I think it took me from $6-something to about $9/hr).

I wouldn't consider getting a latte and not tipping after that experience.

Wow, I've never even considered tipping at Starbucks.

Interesting. I tip at Starbucks always but almost never at Dunks.

I have no fully acceptable-to-me rational explanation for this arbitrary-seeming difference. I can concoct a backwards justification, but I very rarely go to either, so I haven't had to unravel this mystery.

Those arbitrary-seeming differences are everywhere once you try to justify who gets tips and who doesn’t. Pretty much every justification of why tips are great applies to jobs that don’t get tips, and vice versa.

Ugh, not sure why you're getting downvotes for relating a personal anecdote that's relevant to the topic. This forum is weird.

I hate that minimum wage is so far below living-wage in many places. But, I'm also loathe to tip everybody in a customer-facing job. Where do I draw the line? I'd much prefer (and would happily vote for) a $15 or $20 minimum in my region (DC metro).

I'm not sure why either - super curious.

I was trying to add to the discussion with my experience.

I will add, the role of barista has changed at Starbucks in the last 20 years. When I had that job, pulling a good shot and foaming the milk properly was something that I took a lot of pride in - I approached it as a skill. As I was leaving the company was moving to essentially push-button espresso machines, removing any sense of craft from the barista.

It makes perfect business sense, as the company goal is the same quality of drink no matter time/place/barista, but to me just pushing buttons wasn't interesting or fun.

Honestly, I loved that job! People come in, and you give them the thing that makes them happier and helps them feel better. I had regulars with a nice rapport, and I worked 5a to noon most days and was able to hike or golf in the afternoons. I was living rent free as a house sitter, which made the finances work out.

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