You Owe Me a Quarter

People today complain a lot about how tipping culture in the U.S. has gone berserk. Tips are now requested or expected for jobs where they previously would not have been considered, such as workers who run the cash register at carry-out food counters. Bills automatically include suggestions for high-percentage tips, and some folks report seeing suggested tips at the self checkout.

I've never had the kind of job where tips were a factor. Most of my jobs were clerical work in offices. We didn't get tips, royalties, residuals, or stock options. Nevertheless, I had a work friend (Peggy) who unintentionally came up with an innovative way to get tips.

I don't remember what department she worked in, but she was in a position where people within the company, or in branch offices, often called her with questions, and she would look up the information they needed. When the answer was helpful, they would thank her profusely, and she started joking, "You owe me a quarter."

In the joking spirit, people started sending her quarters through the interoffice mail, or they might stop by her desk and say, "Here's the quarter I owe you."

Over time, Peggy accumulated a huge collection of quarters, stored in an old water bottle that become too heavy to move. I don't know what she eventually did with the money, but I think she was saving up for a trip to Hawaii.