This really burns me up

[Brojekk]

I don't think empathy can be taught. You either have it or you don't.

[XCashier]

I don't think empathy can be taught. You either have it or you don't.

Little children are naturally self-centered. They only know what they themselves experience. They have to be taught that others matter, that they're human beings just like them who think and feel. Children can and should be taught empathy.

Adults who get to their stage in life without learning empathy...that's a bit more difficult. Some of them are merely appallingly clueless, others are genuinely sociopathic, and it's not always easy to tell which is which.

[Racket_Man]

Am I correct in assuming that you mean "Jabba's Pizza"? For non-geeks, Jabba was a sluglike creature in the Star Wars series - usually referred to as "Jabba the (key word here)".

Yes there is even a Space Balls reference here too

and yes the "No talking about tipping" thing is about NOT pissing off or "upsetting " a cheap ass but "loyal" customer. YUP my job depends (like 50% of my income) on tips but I can only talk about it with a customer if THEY broach the subject. Just like the Delivery Charge (which I do not receive any protion of) I can not inform or educate a customer that it is NOT a built in tip or grat and that that "convience fee" goes straight to the store revenue stream not mine.

[Cat Herder]

When the delivery guy knocked on my door, I got my money out of my wallet and discovered that I had significantly less than I thought I did (and at the time, I didn't have a credit card). In fact, it turned out that the total amount of money I had was exactly one penny over the pre-tip total

Well, I didn't know what else I could do, so I just handed the money over, took the food, and proceeded to close the door as quickly as I could in order to minimize my embarassment . As I was closing the door, however, the delivery guy said, "Just a minute, Sir!" He then pulled out a penny, handed it to me with a flourish, and very emphatically said, "Your change!"

Hyndis, I totally understand about your experience haunting you to this day.

I assume you are older and wiser now, and know to be up front with the deliverer? Something along the line of "I know you hear this all the time, but I didn't check my cash before I called. I can't tip you this go-round, but I'll make it up next time." Sincere honesty keeps people off "The List."

A thousand times "Yes!" It was just that that situation was so unlike me - partly because I am as unsucky a customer as they come, and partly because I am normally so careful with my money that I always know where I stand - that it caught me off guard to the point where I just didn't think things through. Much, much later, better ways of handling the situation did occur to me, including going to the pizza place to get in touch with the driver.

[Barracuda]

There's only one instance where I don't tip, and that's if I get food for pick-up.

[Alpha Strike]

...But at a pizza place, where tips are expected? That's absurd.

I'm confused - why is it expected that one would tip at a pizza place? Are you saying it's expected for delivery or for any situation?

[scruff]

Little children are naturally self-centered. They only know what they themselves experience. They have to be taught that others matter, that they're human beings just like them who think and feel. Children can and should be taught empathy.

There's an old kids book I read at school (Water Babies by Charles Kingsley ), that had two characters, Mrs doasyouwouldbedoneby, and Mrs Bedonebyasyoudid. First one treated you as nice as you hoped others would treat you, second one treated you as horrible as you had treated others. A very useful lesson! :-) I'd love to insist all clients read it.

[EricKei]

AS - For delivery or if you dine in at a sit-down-and-eat pizza place, yeah. For Walk-ins and pickups, not really. I should have clarified. I am speaking "generally", tho.

[Jim]

What a tool.

I've drilled it into my sons that you tip the driver. They even get onto my wife if she does not tip enough.

One trick we used when I was driving for Domino's was that if they had money coming back for a late or other deal, always have the $3 or whatever in hand and give it to them with the pizza. Generally, they would just give that back as the tip, and sometimes they would already have a couple of bucks extra already on the check.