I picked up a petite girl with glasses this afternoon. She only wanted to go a few blocks. She said she had been walking a long way already and was grateful to get a lift for the last little stretch.
At the end of the ride she asked how much, and I asked if 5 bucks was Ok, and she said "sure" and handed me a 20 for me to make change. It had been a very slow day up to that point, and I didn't have change for a 20.
There were some shops nearby, but she balked at going inside to ask for change, muttering some explanation that I didn't quite catch. "Would you please do it for me?" she asked. "I'll stay here and watch the bike." This wasn't the way things usually work, but I didn't see any harm in it, so I agreed.
The shopkeepers weren't very helpful, but a customer in the second store I tried gave me four fives for the 20.
When I got back and handed her three of the fives, she exclaimed, "Oh no! I wanted to give you a tip!"
"Thanks, but it's Ok," I assured her. The five is fine."
"No, it's not Ok," she insisted. "I'm a stripper. I make my living off tips. I'm not comfortable not giving you any tip... Hold on just a second. I've got an idea."
She rummaged through her purse and pulled out three individually-wrapped, pre-moistened lens wipes, ("These are great for cleaning your glasses!") and two free passes to a Bourbon St. strip club ("This is where I work."). The passes had her signature on the back: QT Pie.
"I'm sorry that this is the best I can do this time," she said. "Please give me your card so I can call you to pick me some other time. I promise to take better care of you next time."
By the way, you can ask any of my fellow pedicabbies, and they'll tell you that strippers are generally generous tippers. It makes sense really. I myself have become a much more extravagant tipper since I've been earning my living from tips.
At the end of the ride she asked how much, and I asked if 5 bucks was Ok, and she said "sure" and handed me a 20 for me to make change. It had been a very slow day up to that point, and I didn't have change for a 20.
There were some shops nearby, but she balked at going inside to ask for change, muttering some explanation that I didn't quite catch. "Would you please do it for me?" she asked. "I'll stay here and watch the bike." This wasn't the way things usually work, but I didn't see any harm in it, so I agreed.
The shopkeepers weren't very helpful, but a customer in the second store I tried gave me four fives for the 20.
When I got back and handed her three of the fives, she exclaimed, "Oh no! I wanted to give you a tip!"
"Thanks, but it's Ok," I assured her. The five is fine."
"No, it's not Ok," she insisted. "I'm a stripper. I make my living off tips. I'm not comfortable not giving you any tip... Hold on just a second. I've got an idea."
She rummaged through her purse and pulled out three individually-wrapped, pre-moistened lens wipes, ("These are great for cleaning your glasses!") and two free passes to a Bourbon St. strip club ("This is where I work."). The passes had her signature on the back: QT Pie.
"I'm sorry that this is the best I can do this time," she said. "Please give me your card so I can call you to pick me some other time. I promise to take better care of you next time."
By the way, you can ask any of my fellow pedicabbies, and they'll tell you that strippers are generally generous tippers. It makes sense really. I myself have become a much more extravagant tipper since I've been earning my living from tips.
No comments:
Post a Comment