Boise, Idaho

I stopped at this Fast Eddy’s (a c-store, gas station, + car wash) to get a Diet Pepsi after pickleball yesterday.

(Nothing tastes as good as an ice cold DP after PB. 🙂 )

I haven’t been to this particular convenience store in a long time, and I was shocked to see tip jars at each of the cashiers’ stations.

I get tipping for services, but after seeing the tip jars at a convenience store I must admit that I’m confused.

I’ve tipped at restaurants, fast food places, hair salons, etc… And I’m a frequent and decent tipper.

But I’ve never tipped someone just for holding up my Diet Pepsi to a bar code scanner, telling me what I owe, and taking my money.

I just don’t think of that as a service.

Maybe I would if the cashier sang a song, did a little tap dancing, or perhaps wielded my Diet Pepsi with the flair of an Ichiban chef…

But, wait, maybe clerking is a service now that there are self-checkout options at many stores.

I’m a fan of self-checkout because it usually saves me time, but, if that’s leading to clerks asking for tips, I’ll quit self-checkout immediately.