Steve Ballmer was an underrated CEO

Funny story. I used to see Steve almost every weekday for a couple of years.

I can't speak to his business skills, but I can attest that he never once offered a tip for his daily black iced tea. We'd even have it ready for him before he showed up so he never had to wait! He would pay with cash, and I'd hand him his change and drink, and that was that.

It's funny to me now: one of the richest men in the world and he never once offered a tip.

Frugality aside, he was always very polite and warm so I can't be mad. Makes for a good ice breaker story.

Edit: holy moly, this is a sensitive subject. Please remember this was from a time before tipflation. Tipping meant you left your change behind once in a while only if you felt the desire to show appreciation. It wasn't an obligation. Yes, I still do think it's a funny story. Roast me for being entitled lol

You think you should have received a tip for working behind the counter?

Or were you actually waiting tables and he'd be at a table?

If it's the latter I apologise for the brusqueness.

This was a coffeehouse in Redmond. Tipping baristas has been a common thing for the past 50-60 years or so on the west coast of the US.

And no, I don't think we "should" have received a tip. Most regular customers did tip occasionally. He was an outlier but only notable because of his wealth.

Other customers who do never tipped were treated the exact same.

So you seem to think that simply because of his wealth he should have been tipping you? The corollary would be the notion that regardless of where you were working at the time, you would have expected a tip from him simply on account of his wealth? There's a huge difference between tips being a thing certain patrons do every once in awhile, and something being an established norm - are you trying to say that in Seattle at the time tipping baristas was literally a well-established norm (ie., not just that it was common but that it was actually the predominant behaviour if not outright expected)?

I'm American but have lived in Australia for nearly 20 years, and in Melbourne for the past 15. There's a huge coffee culture here and almost all cafes have a tipping jar. But I can't imagine any baristas finding it odd to the point of mentioning if a patron, even a repeat patron, never put money in the jars.

I've never been a Ballmer fan myself although he's gotten more likeable post-Microsoft IMO, but to me it says a lot about his character that he both got his own coffee/tea (as opposed to having a PA do it for him), and if you're saying he was always polite then I have no clue why you'd feel the need to cast aspersions on him by suggesting he should have tipped but didn't.

> So you seem to think that simply because of his wealth he should have been tipping you?

No. But it's funny that he, of all people, didn't. It's the juxtaposition of wealth and frugality that are amusing.

> are you trying to say that in Seattle at the time tipping baristas was literally a well-established norm?

Yes. Without a doubt. But the norm was to tip infrequently, and not everyone did it. Those that did tipped once a week or 1x/2x a month. And it was usually just their change, significantly less than 10%.

> I can't imagine any baristas finding it odd to the point of mentioning if a patron, even a repeat patron, never put money in the jars

No one blinked an eye at the regulars who didn't tip. It wasn't a concern. The only exception is when it was a famous billionaire. It's notable.

> why you'd feel the need to cast aspersions on him

How so? I shared an objective observation. And I made clear that there was no ill will. Not even the slightest bit upset.

I feel like a lot of commenters are working through their own issues with tipping that surfaced with this light hearted story. Tipflation sucks, I get it. But this story isn't that.