#1035 Pay for Performance

WELCOME TO ALL THE WARM, FRIENDLY PEOPLE I MET AT THE FINEST INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENCY IN MICHIGAN. THE EMIL RUMMEL AGENCY,

I was in Newark airport and in the mood for a coffee. I saw a Starbucks-looking coffee shop called Jersey Reserve. The setup indicated that I would get a decent cup of coffee, and I did. What I also got was a blog post.

When did tipping become compulsory? Since my days as a waiter, I've worked in a pay-for-performance model, and I love the idea. I want to overtip for killer service. I feel I am helping to recognize and perpetuate that excellent service. At Jersey Reserve, I left no tip. The counter person should have owed me money.

The lassitude (That’s a $2.00 word!) this person exuded could have put Richard Simmons into a stupor, but, OK, maybe you don't like your job, or you're just having an off day. I'm willing to give a little latitude here but what rankled me was the tip expectation. As I tapped my debit card on the iPad pay station, a screen popped up asking me for a tip.

I had poured my own coffee from an urn. The counterperson was on a stool, almost turned into a Barcalounger under her languid posture. There was no greeting, no "the sugar and cream are down there, have a nice day."

There was only a screen asking me to bolster this person's pay. The screen was so insistent that I had to stand there for a minute trying to find a way to skip it and pay for my coffee. Finally, I found a tiny icon at the bottom that allowed me to go past without tipping.

Johnny Bench earned much more than Chu Chu Coleman. When they were both 20-year-old rookie catchers starting in the major leagues together, Casey Stengel looked at them and famously said, "In ten years, Bench has a chance to be great, and Chu Chu has a chance to be 30."

I have no issue with salaried employees who earn a wage for time spent. That has its place in many occupations but don't ask me to pay Allstar wages for a bench warmer.

Own Your Sales Gene…