Tip thieves

[rerant]

Everytime I leave a tip in one of those on-the-counter tip jars, I always recall that Seinfeld episode where George wanted to make a point to have the guy see him give him his tip but he turned away. So, George reached in to take the tip he left back out so that they guy would see him put it back in - but he got caught and it looked as though he was stealing tips. I think of that all the time because I do want to make sure that they see me tip - but often they turn their back. Do I reach in? No, I figure that its just my ego that tells me I need recognition for tipping them and they'll be just as happy later when they count it.

I know that feeling, but it's pretty easy to hear when someone drops change in.
Whenever I hear the sound of a coin I turn to say thank you.
Also, I've quickly gotten into the habit of completing a transaction before making any drinks, so if someone is going to leave something I'll more than likely see it.

Yeah, having it in a bowl where it's easy to reach and grab is just going to cause problems. Something that you can't reach your hand into would be best.

UGH! Some kid was pawing through it yesterday! I became instantly infuriated but thankfully his grandma told him to keep his hands to himself and that the money in there belonged to me, not him.
You go, grandma.

[depechemodefan]

I'm remembering that VISA commercial (or maybe it's not VISA) where this guy was passing a blind musician and his dog, and sees the open guitar case where tips were thrown. So the guy makes change but people only saw him taking out money and there was an up-roar.

But that sucks that people take other people's tips. That is lower than a dog's belly.

[rerant]

I'm remembering that VISA commercial (or maybe it's not VISA) where this guy was passing a blind musician and his dog, and sees the open guitar case where tips were thrown. So the guy makes change but people only saw him taking out money and there was an up-roar.

But that sucks that people take other people's tips. That is lower than a dog's belly.

Even making change in someone's tip jar is out of the question. If you have four quarters and want the loonie sitting in my tip bowl you can get fucked.
I know it may be over the top of me to be irritated with that because they're not taking anything and I can always change out the tips myself to larger increments (and I do, obviously, because I don't want a pocket full of nickels) but there's something about it that is just so tacky and rude.

[Stryker One]

You gotta be more like Brian

I feel your pain. When I was 17 I worked (briefly) at a deli where a tip jar was set up next to the register and ppl would do this ALL THE TIME. Drove me so nuts that I wiped off the original script on the jar and re-wrote it to say "TIPS are appreciated, thank you!" hoping the customers would get the hint that it wasn't a change jar. Next day my boss called me to the carpet for it because customers complained about the word "tips". I didn't last much longer there, I was fired for being "not happy enough". I wonder why?

I wish I'd had the foresight of the jar with the slit on top, although I'm sure it would have been shot down by the most spineless deli manager in IL.

Maybe you weren't wearing enough pieces of flair.

[rerant]

Maybe you weren't wearing enough pieces of flair.

I've been thinking of adding some flair to my apron. Specifically a pin that says, "No habla Starbucks."
Working in a coffee shop so similar to that place has its obvious downfalls.
"Venti" is not in our vocabulary and we will correct you by saying, "You mean large?"

[powerboy]

Stealing from a tip jar is pretty darn low.

It took me a while but I googled and came up with this: Locked Box

Just type up a 'Tips Welcome' sign and you're good to go.

The locked box is a good idea.

[StanFlouride]

My favorite tip jar of all time was in a taqueria near a bar. They used an old plastic Slim Jims container and stuck long hat pins into it facing slightly downward. It was tied to the counter with a string and to get the tips out you could pick it up and shake them out but if you stuck your hand in you'd bleed. *weg*
There is a similar device used in Africa that is called a 'monkey trap.' The hand fits in but if it closes around something it can't get out.

[edible_hat]

I've been thinking of adding some flair to my apron. Specifically a pin that says, "No habla Starbucks."

I occasionally wear my BADGE badge to work, my boss thinks it's hilarious. It's a badge that just says "BADGE". The same company makes a HAT hat and a SHIRT shirt.

Working in a coffee shop so similar to that place has its obvious downfalls.
"Venti" is not in our vocabulary and we will correct you by saying, "You mean large?"

Ask me for venti and I'll say "Papers or filters?" Around here it's a brand of tobacco related products.

[crazylegs]

Maybe you weren't wearing enough pieces of flair.

Probably was, but they were only wearing 15, which although is the minimum...

[Moggie]

The coffee shop I worked in used to get cocoa powder and spices in the great big plastic bottles with the screw-on lids. We rinsed one of those out, covered it in comic strips, and cut a slit in the lid for tips. Then we used a bit of duct tape to stick it to the counter.

People liked to read the comics so we'd actually change them about once a month or so. Eventually the bottle was a massive paper mache thing and we had to throw it out and start over.

[repsac]

One nice trick that you can do is a so called "Grabber" jar. It's hard to explain, but the basic premise of it is that you can get the tips in, but to get them out you have to pretty much take the lid off the jar. Something a customer isn't keen on doing.


Here's how you can make your own theft proof Tip Jar.

1.) Take a plastic jug, something like a large mayo jar works. Whatever it is, you want it just large enough to fit your hand down in to the wrist. Any larger and it becomes cumbersome, any smaller and it defeats the purpose.

2.) Take the lid of the jar and cut it in a kind of "pizza" type manner, but leave the threads on the outside alone. This forms the "teeth" of the jar.

3.) Place the cut lid on the jar, and bend down the "teeth" so they point inward at an angle. they should open up nicely, and allow money to be put in the jar.

4.) Superglue the lid on. Don't worry, you can still get the money out by just upending the jar.

5.) If possible, attach the jar to the counter. If not, add a few nice stones to the bottom of it for weight.


So, how does it work? Simply really. Money can go into it quite easily, even bills should your customers choose to leave you those. However if some thief decides to shove their hand down in it, whether to steal change or make change for their purchase, they will be able to get their hand into the jar, but the "teeth" will prevent them from getting it out. Should they lift their hand, the weight of the stones will keep that jar firmly in place.

Now, let's see them explain their way out of this one.


I got the idea from a friend of mine who used to work in a coffee shop. He had a similar jar, though the jar lid was "gorilla glued" to the top and you couldn't get it off. Some guy robbed the shop, shoved his hand down in that jar to steal the change too, and couldn't get the jar off. The police later arrested him at a local hospital where they were trying to cut the jar off.

[unperson]

Water-filled tip jar

Here's what I think is a simple, but elegant, solution - if you have access to a dryer (hair or clothes).

A local pizza joint here in CA has a tip jar made from a large mayo jar - filled with water. Basically, if the tip thief wants the $ badly enough, they are going to end up with a handful of soggy bills and dripping change - not exactly the sort of thing that can be slyly stashed in ones' pocket.

Afaik, nobody has made off with tips since that was put into place

[rerant]

1.) Take a plastic jug, something like a large mayo jar works. Whatever it is, you want it just large enough to fit your hand down in to the wrist. Any larger and it becomes cumbersome, any smaller and it defeats the purpose.

2.) Take the lid of the jar and cut it in a kind of "pizza" type manner, but leave the threads on the outside alone. This forms the "teeth" of the jar.

3.) Place the cut lid on the jar, and bend down the "teeth" so they point inward at an angle. they should open up nicely, and allow money to be put in the jar.

4.) Superglue the lid on. Don't worry, you can still get the money out by just upending the jar.

5.) If possible, attach the jar to the counter. If not, add a few nice stones to the bottom of it for weight.

I REALLY like this idea!
I don't know how the owners (we're franchised not corporate owned) would feel about it because it could look "unprofessional" as opposed to our subtle little ceramic bowl, but I'm going to bring it up to the other girls (and one guy) I work with and see how they feel about it.

One of the girls, T, was telling me about a day where she and another girl, R, had somehow managed to reel in almost $50 in tips, which is INSANE considering today I only made $8 during a six hour shift. She did say it was during Christmas time, though.
Anyway, some guy came in asking about one of the girls who used to work there.
Well, R was busy doing something and T had to go into the back to get something and all of a sudden she hears R yelling.
T runs out of the back and sees this guy booking it into the parking lot.
He had taken all but a couple dollars of their hard-earned tips.

Apparently they tried to chase him down but they couldn't catch him so they lost quite a hefty chunk of change to that d-bag.

Yeah, this is definitely something I'm going to bring up.
If anyone ever stole THAT much from me I might be leaving work with blood on my hands.