Ask Annie for Sept. 10, 2003 Dear Annie,
I'm a clerk at a convenience store in a small town. One of our customers bought a scratch ticket and won $100,000.00! And he didn't even give us a tip! He says he doesn't remember which clerk sold it to him, but we do. Anyway, even if he gave each of us one hundred dollars, that would only be $500.00 out of the $70,000.00 he said he got after taxes. What do you think of a tightwad like that? We're paid to be nice to him, but when he comes back in (which is often,) to buy more tickets, no one wants to wait on him. Please don't print which town we're from...
(No Name)
Dear Clerk,
You're right, you are paid to be pleasant to the customers, and I know from being in your shoes that that isn't easy with the kind of people you deal with every day. I'm sorry the lucky man didn't share his fortune, but he isn't really obliged to. That isn't to say I agree with him, I don't, but it is his choice. I don't understand why he wouldn't be generous, especially since, like you say, he could've spread it around to your small staff without putting a dent in his windfall. I don't believe in a bunch of new age bologna, I'm pretty conservative, but I do believe what goes around comes around, and that he isn't doing himself any favors by being so cheap. However, your job is to wait on customers with a smile on your face, or at least without teeth bared, and so you must carry on. Try very hard not to treat him differently than any of your other regular patrons, and enjoy those other customers that are kind and generous every day.
Annie
Please write to: Annie, P.O. Box 1084, Eatonville,WA 98328
E-mail: letters_annie@hotmail.com
Past Ask Annies:
Sept. 17, 2003 Friend Sells My Stuff on Ebay
Sept. 10, 2003 Lottery Winner Didn't Tip Clerk
Sept. 3, 2003 Business Insults to Consumers
Aug. 27, 2003 Divison of Wedding Expense
Aug. 20, 2003 School Workers' Kindness & Men's Attractiveness
Aug. 13, 2003 Attractiveness Hints
Aug. 6, 2003 Annie's Husband's Accident at Work
July 30, 2003 Deer Automatic Sprinkler Best & Stores Don't Stock Washington Clothes
July 23, 2003 Scarecrows and Halloween Decorations Scare Off Prowlers Too
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