Tip goddamit!

I have heard it said that a man of great character is not judged by how he treats his peers but by how he treats those who serve him.

Everyday as you go around there are of course people who serve you, that conductor who collects fare in the loud matatu, the nice lady at breakfast, that tall janitor who cleans your office floor, your housemaid if you have any, the watchman who watches over your building as you sleep…the list of people who serve you is long and it gets longer the wealthier you are.

While some of these people may be arrogant, unhelpful and sometimes downright rude, there are those that do their service to you and humanity diligently and with a smile. There are those that in giving their service to you will do it so happily (be it genuine or faked) that it will Leave you with a Smile as well and make your day.

And so to you I ask WHY YOU NO TIP THEM? 

Tipping is not very Kenyan, here we believe that we should not pay anyone extra for doing their job, besides, what money will we have left to bribe policemen and government officials?  Okay, maybe that was below the belt but for a country that bribes so much, I fail to see why so many of us are so against tipping. 

And don’t you even try denying it in your mind. My friends, some who are reading this, cant even leave 20 shilling change with the waitress at the club, the fact that they’ve spent thousands there not withstanding. Yes you, you know yourself…especially you whose name starts with Z, yes you who sent me a mother’s day text message yesterday, yes you who…okay, I’ll stop now.

I have recently taken up tipping those who serve me well and gladly not because I have tones of money but because that 100 shilling note might not mean much to you but might mean the world to someone else. And if they are doing their job well, why not appreciate it and not with just a thank you but with something that will help the other person and encourage them to be even nicer to other people. A good tip is a kind reward for a job well done.

There is no doubt that servers give good service based on what they perceive to be a carrot on the end of a stick. This means that if those who serve you know you tip well, chances of getting better service incredibly increase.

Other than the above, there are a lot of reasons to tip, in most parts of the world it is dictated by etiquette that you tip about 10-20 % of the cost of the service you are receiving depending on which part of the world you are in, it is expected of you.

Sometimes when a motorbike guy carries me home from school and riddles me with stories I tip more because I have been entertained...

I know we have all had our fair share of that waitress who thinks you are piece of shit and will take your order while looking out the window or filling  her nails. And god forbids you should ask why your pilau is taking so long or complain that the tea is too watery. The look and tongue lashing you get will lead you to quickly evaluate your life (kujifikiria kimaisha) to ensure that you have it right and that you are indeed the customer and not the server.

As far as these kinds are concerned, by all means do not leave a single shilling in change and if you can, do make away without paying the bill so that she is later charged for your meal because she deserves it and you are freaking Robin Hood (winning!). I get everyone has bad days; however, this should never be taken out on the customer.

But when people are good to you, why not be good to them? This past Friday. Me and Deksta, a friend and a business partner were having a couple of beers at the prestige plaza food court after work and were served by the most delightful gentleman. The gentleman, a waiter  at one of the food stands there, was at least 50 years hold, neatly dressed in a clean black shirt and pants. His shoes just like his attitude were well polished.

Not minding that we were both more than half his age, he served us our drinks with a wide smile, courtesy and kindness. He enquired about the temperature and constantly passed by politely asking if we needed refills, he poured our glasses and when my phone ran out of charge, he took it to his counter instead of the public charging system bringing it back promptly when I needed it.

At one point, he got my drink wrong but he had been so nice to us that it felt wrong to have him take it back. When you do encounter people like this, leave them a token of appreciation.

This post is for that nice man at prestige plaza.