Tipping is not a city in China

My friend in college, Morgan, used to work at St. Germains deli on Villa La Jolla Drive, near UCSD. She used to make sandwiches there. She kept a tip jar on the counter with a small sign that read "Tipping is not a city in China". I loved that sign.

Do you tip the people at Starbucks that pour your coffee? There must be something wrong with me. I really don't think I'm cheap but when you are paying nearly $5.00 for a cup of coffee, it seems odd to tip on top of that. It wouldn't bother me a bit if I was being served coffee, but standing at the counter, waiting 20 minutes at times for the Mocha to come out and having to push my way to get it, somehow feels like I should be tipped instead. Which leads me to my next point. This one was the best.

About a week ago, Max and I went to lunch followed by a quick stop by the Extreme Yogurt in Bressi Ranch. I'm loving frozen yogurt these days. Remember when it was on every corner in the 80's, and then it disappeared for years. Well, luckily for me, it's back and with a vengeance, I might add. In our truly automated, do-it-yourself world, there is now self serve frozen yogurt. This is great...try and taste all that you like. You can put 20 flavors in the same cup if you are so inclined and pour the toppings on until they overflow. Extreme Yogurt, it this kind of place. You pull the lever, load your toppings, get the cup weighed and pay. Great huh? I think so.

So back to a week ago, I fill, I weigh, I pay and I notice there is a tip jar next to the register. It actually had tips in it. They might have been planted but money none the less. Does this make any sense to you? I just offered myself my own tasters, filled my own cup, weighed my own yogurt and payed. What was I supposed to tip for? I know it's tough out there and I'm happy to see the college gal behind the register trying to make a couple bucks, but this seems so odd. I actually laughed about it all day.

I think I'm going to go back, take a picture and send it into Leno for his new it's-not-the-Tonight-show Tonight Show.