Increasing Tips By Getting Creative

My sister in law works at a coffee shop, and every time I visit, I see an almost-empty tip jar.  Service is great, the baristas do great work, yet people aren't giving that little extra.

Tips = To Insure Prompt Service.  If the person serving you goes above and beyond, you give them a little extra.  In a coffee shop, you usually tip if your drink is fairly extravagant (non-fat triple shot soy latte with extra foam and a shot of hazelnut, anyone?) or if you're wanting your java served fast.

Here, not so much.  And this particular coffee shop is hipster central in Idaho.

Always having a mind towards marketing & helping grow business, I told my sis-in-law about making the tip jar a little less bland.

I saw another coffee shop in a different state do this, and their tips were through the roof.  They made tipping fun by having a daily 'vote for the best' contest where your tip was your vote.

Contests include Batman v Superman, Tupac v Biggie, Mickey Mouse v Bugs Bunny, and more.  It was an awesome idea, and it was extremely successful for that business.

Sis liked the idea, and they implemented the 'new and improved' tip jars the next day.  They didn't change their service (it was already excellent) or their prices, but tips nearly tripled in one day.

All of a sudden there was a fun game to play.  Friends and colleagues would argue about which being better, Country or Rock and Roll, and they would try to out-tip each other.  Customers tipped more, and the low-wage workers who thrive on tips are now taking home more money.

The employees are happier.  The customers are enjoying it.  Everybody wins.

That is, except for the loser of the tip voting...  Sorry Biggie, I voted for Pac.  Gotta support the West Siiiiiiide!!!

Fun With the Homeless

I recently walked into a coffee shop on a cold, snowy afternoon.  A homeless man had set up camp at the entrance, and was introducing himself to everyone who walked in.

"Hi, I'm %^&*(@ and I'm trying to get a hold of such-and-such company in a city that's 200 miles away.  It's cold, and I don't want to walk anymore, so I want to call them for a ride...."

Over and over he tells people this, and finally one guy offers to help him.  He looks up the business on his phone, and no such business exists.

"The owner's name is chuck.  See if chuck is there..."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't even find the business, let alone a number to call..."

This sets the homeless guy off.  He's been called a liar, and all he wants is some dude that lives 200 miles away to pick him up and give him a ride into town...

....yeah.

I silently sip my coffee (in the opposite corner) and watch the drama unfold.  He asks to borrow another person's phone to call his friend chuck.

...but he's never operated a phone.  Doesn't know how to dial.  "Which button is for the operator?"  Now he won't give the nice man his phone back...

I finally got up and left when the manager called the cops.  As entertaining as it was, he was harassing every person who came through the door.  Bad for business, and all that jazz.

But I do feel sorry for the guy.  It was 15 degrees out and pounding snow.  And he's 200 miles away from his final destination?  Sucks to be him.

If he weren't so smelly and confrontational, I may have given him a ride.  I stayed at a hotel in his goal-of-a-town, and slept like a baby.

Oh well....  off to work!