Want A Tip?
		By Jesse Smith
		http://slicer69.tripod.com/


	Yesterday, I took a moment to reflect on my past 
year. A large part of this time has been devoted 
to working in ye little, local convenience store. 
A fine, little establishment, bringing convenience 
to our tiny town of Tinsleton*. In the last ten months 
of working at said establishment, I have had some 
interesting, and often stressful, moments. I have 
been cursed at, had money and food thrown at me, 
been (falsely) accused of mis-pricing orange juice, 
condoms, ice cream and cigarettes. I have dealt with 
any number of drunks, stoners and head cases. I have 
talked angry drunks out of fights, confronted shop 
lifters and explained the basic concepts of math 
to old ladies. I have answered bizarre phone calls, 
cleaned up most imaginable substances and handled 
other people's garbage. I have stared down would-be 
robbers and been threatened with knives, fists and 
a gun. Even accused (falsely) of trying to steal a woman's
soul with a debit machine.

	There have been good points too. I have been complimented 
on my service, my smile and my nature. I have been 
praised for my smarts, my honesty and my humour. 
I have been offered jobs, references and friendship. 
There is one thing, however, I don't get very often. 
Tips.

	In the past ten months I can count, on my fingers, 
the number of tips I have received in amounts over 
25 cents (Not counting money thrown at my head.). 
There are very few people in this town who tip cashiers, 
myself or my co-workers. Sure some do, even on a 
regular basis. However, most don't. Now, I understand. 
There are two main reasons that come to mind.

	The first is that while cashier work can be stressful, 
its nothing next to, say, waiting tables, bar tending 
or McDonald' s. Those workers get to deal with people 
at their worst (ie. Hungry, drunk and tired). I tip 
my hat to those brave enough to go forth to work, 
knowing what awaits them. Waitresses in particular 
deserve every cent they get.

	The second reason that comes to mind is tradition. 
Not so long ago, the person standing behind the convenience 
store counter was also the owner. The days of general 
stores is fading fast...too fast. Before the demand 
of 24 hour stores and multiple cashiers, chances 
were that the service came directly from the business 
owner. I know of some stores in the area where this 
is still the case. As such, the patrons knew the 
owner was already making enough money. Not a low 
paying job, hence no tip. However, times have changed. 
Now, most convenience store workers make little more 
than minimum wage. Some may be store owners, but 
most are not. These people are trying to put themselves 
through college, raise families and pay mortgages 
on a low hourly wage.

	As such, it seems unfortunate that cashiers are 
rarely given tips. I'm not saying this just for my 
own benefit. I don't have a family yet, nor a house 
to pay for. However, many of my comrades in cash 
do, in fact, have these responsibilities. They put 
up with a lot of abuse, stress and put in many hours 
for six-something an hour. Perhaps it wouldn't be 
so bad if we gave them a little extra in return for 
our smokes and smiles.

* Names have been changed to protect the innocent.