Who's Driving
Who's Driving with Wesley Turner & Steven Merck is all about the entertaining stories we share and brainstorming topics we discuss as two best friends would on a long road trip. Come along for the ride as we check in with friends & offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media, and all things Home and Garden.
Who's Driving
Who's Driving- Tipping Dilemmas S2E21
Ever been on a blind date that went horribly wrong? We share some cringe-worthy dating adventures, including a memorable encounter with a boastful attorney.
Is tipping culture out of control? We dive into the inconsistencies and societal expectations surrounding tipping, from restaurants and salons to fast-food chains and coffee shops. Our chat also ventures into the often-overlooked trend of rounding up for charity donations at checkout.
We want to hear from you give our hotline a call at 864-982-5029. Happy listening! And remember to leave us a rating and review.
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Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithstevenand follow Wesley on Instagram at @Farmshenanigans. Shop our online store at TheNestedFig.Com Find The Nested Fig on Instagram at @TheNestedFig
You ready to hop to it?
Speaker 2:I'm ready to get on the road.
Speaker 1:Let's do it. It's time for another episode of who's Driving. Welcome to who's Driving. I'm Wesley Turner and I'm Stephen Merck. We're two best friends and entrepreneurs. Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our lives, friendship and business.
Speaker 2:These are the stories we share and topics we discuss, as two best friends would on a long road trip.
Speaker 1:Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media and all things home and garden.
Speaker 2:Buckle up and enjoy the ride. You never know who's driving or where we're headed.
Speaker 1:All we know is it's always a fun ride. And, coming up in this episode, we are going to talk about tipping and rounding up. I feel like this is a hot topic. It is, and we need to talk about it In general. You and I haven't talked about it but you walked in and I said today we're going to talk about tipping.
Speaker 2:Tipping in general, though you know. I mean like people have different perspectives on it, right?
Speaker 1:We're going to get into it. Yeah, Because yeah, we'll get into it in a minute.
Speaker 2:Well, first I have something. Okay, what makes me nervous? I'm going to ask you a riddle in a minute. But first first, before that, dylan and I have been walking. We try to do our five-mile walk and we go through, all through downtown and back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you get in this little. Usually I feel like you're hitting it a little later than normal.
Speaker 2:Spring to fall, it's walk-in time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, y'all do really good walk-in, because you live not that far from downtown Greenville. No, you can, and y'all make a little trek out of it?
Speaker 2:We do, and it was the jazz festival this weekend. We didn't know, so it was very claustrophobic.
Speaker 1:Okay, but before you talk about this, I'm just curious, knowing the two of you. When y'all are walking, I can see you power walking.
Speaker 2:I walk very fast.
Speaker 1:Very fast. I walk fast, normally Right. And then Dylan has little leg, dylan trying to keep up. I can see you two prancing through downtown sashaying. But I know you go on these five-mile walks. But be honest, you walk through downtown. How many times do y'all stop and eat? Not along the way, but do y'all stop and get dinner on these walks? Do you stop and get ice?
Speaker 2:cream. We did eat Friday. We did not get ice cream, we just stopped and had Mexican. Okay, we did not eat. I guess we've been three nights we did not eat, one we didn't eat or drink anything on one, and then one we we did, uh, go to into cvs and get a bottled water okay.
Speaker 1:So sometimes you eat, sometimes you don't. Yeah, and because I could see y'all being like oh, we walked, we're walking five miles let's have them I'm dieting now so I'm not gonna do to do that.
Speaker 2:But once I lose my weight because I need to lose 10 pounds once I lose that, I will stop and get one of the little cups of ice cream or something. A little treat, a little treat, okay, once I do it. But yeah, it kind of defeats the whole purpose.
Speaker 1:That's why I was wondering Okay, it was hot, so get back to you.
Speaker 2:So we went yesterday and the jazz festival was over and there was a husband and wife or boyfriend, girlfriend, I don't know. They were attractive couple, yeah, out shopping and he was dressed normal, you know, shorts, t-shirt.
Speaker 1:So just like casual summer, yeah, just casual summer wear okay and she was very, a very attract.
Speaker 2:They were both very attractive people and she had on, like lulu lulu, lemon leggings, but they were shorts okay, so like tight skin tight like skin tight.
Speaker 1:So this is the. I know. I think I know where you're going, but keep going. This is the summer version of the leggings, where you can just see everything. Yes, and just a runner's bra. Oh.
Speaker 2:That's it.
Speaker 1:And listen.
Speaker 2:First of all, she was beautiful. She could wear that all day long. It's not, I'm not.
Speaker 1:You're not body shaving or anything. It's nothing to do with her body.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no, no. Nothing like that at all. It just shocks me. You know, and I guess you know, if I were at the gym and she had that on, I wouldn't think anything about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a time and a place where that's the norm. That's the norm.
Speaker 2:Or she was running I.
Speaker 1:Or if she was running, I would think, oh, okay, yeah, if you go to the gym or you see someone like that running, or at the beach or something like that you don't think anything about it. But when you're out in a downtown shopping in a store, yeah, you're going in stores shopping.
Speaker 2:I thought it was odd, yeah, and I said to Dylan you know there's a little age difference here and I said to Dylan I said if you were a woman, would you wear that out, just shopping today? And he's like probably. He said you know, it's just the style now and that's what I'm talking about, that's just like normal.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, style in general has become way more casual, and then I think with COVID it kind of even catapulted that even more because people can work from home and so then they have more casual wear and I like casual and you know, going into the office in some places now isn't required, so it's not like, oh, dress up every day.
Speaker 2:So I feel like it has become a little bit more and I used to have to dress up and wear and look really nice every day and ties and jackets and all that, and I didn't like that, yeah um, I, but I'm gonna cover up if I'm going out into the town, like you are talking about. Yes, if I were at the gym and I wanted to wear some athletic clothes and they were tight it is what it is chicken leg it is what it is.
Speaker 2:You know you're there working out right, and I don't listen. I don't judge anybody about their body or anything like that. It's just, uh, the modesty right that gets me. I'm like, if you're at the gym, who cares you, do you? If you're on the beach, you do, I'm not personally very modest, but I'm not going to.
Speaker 1:But I kind of know the difference. You know what I'm saying. Like I'm not modest, Like I wouldn't care, but I'm not going to do that, it's kind of a respect thing.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, it's like respecting the other people around me to saying like, oh, if you're at the beach or somewhere like that, you kind of expect it to be skimpy and that sort of thing. But if you're walking down Main Street, you're not.
Speaker 2:And it wasn't like she was like a plus size woman and I was body like ooh, it was nothing like that. She was a beautiful woman with a great body. And it wasn't anything like I wasn't scowling at her, I was just thinking, wow, just caught you off guard. We have really gotten really, really casual.
Speaker 1:Well, it's like when I was at the grocery store with the leggings you know that's the wintertime version of leggings with nothing covering anything. I mean, the shirt was like midriff, you know kind of shirt of shirt. Well, I guess down, but it did not go past the waistline, the shirt, I swear. I thought the woman was standing there naked. We talked about it on a podcast, like it was skin tone leggings and I could see every curve, cheek, dimple.
Speaker 2:Dental Lip.
Speaker 1:Lip or whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 2:It was all there.
Speaker 1:Nothing to the Nothing was left. I was like oh, To each their own.
Speaker 2:Like I said, it has gotten more casual.
Speaker 1:Same kind of conversation. I think that was with you. Where were we together, daniel and I were talking about it. He was talking about how I'll go out on the front porch in my underwear. No, that was, we were with his family, or whatever. He was laughing at me yesterday. I don't know how it came up or whatever, but he was like you know, we have employees on the farm and he's like well, wesley will walk right out on the porch in his underwear because I'll let the dogs out or whatever. But they're across the way like they can't see me.
Speaker 1:And if they can, I'm like my underwear aren't that skimpy or anything I was like you had on skimpier bathing suit at the beach and he was the same way. He's like well at the beach. You kind of, you know, expect that, whereas and I'm like well on my own front porch, on a farm. You can expect that too if I walk out there in my underwear.
Speaker 2:At my old house I I would take the trash out in my underwear yeah, and you had you were in town in a, yeah, in a downtown neighborhood, yeah, yeah, and I mean it was a joke like with my neighbors, they're, they're like oh, Stephen's out there in his boxers. I was friends with all of them, Like we were all friendly together.
Speaker 1:But they probably were like oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:They're like burn your head. They would stop and be like are you really out here in your underwear again? I'm like I'm just taking the trash and I would check and be like, okay, nobody's out here, there's no cars.
Speaker 1:And then I would get to the end of the driveway, and here they damn it, here would come a minivan yeah, and I can see you doing that because I know if you're in your boxers you're not dressed at all, and I can see your fine baby cotton candy hair stuck up on your head and just looking hot, not even shaved and just a hot damn mess in your box, yeah.
Speaker 2:But, I was trying to hide from people.
Speaker 1:Would you stand behind the trash can? Yes?
Speaker 2:and I was trying to do it real quick, you know, because there was always those moments.
Speaker 1:Would you have your shirt on?
Speaker 2:Sometimes, sometimes not, but there was always that, oh my gosh, I forgot to take the trash out, you know, and you've got to run.
Speaker 1:What about now? You live in a condo building. There's a trash chute down the hallway. Oh, we don't use that?
Speaker 2:Oh, you don't. I didn't know. It was there for several years and my thing is is my chunky butt needs to be walking so I can take my? I do not use the elevator, that's a rule of mine. No elevator up or down, because I'm just on the second.
Speaker 1:Well, you're only on the second floor, yeah.
Speaker 2:So that's needed exercise. And then going out to the trash. In all fairness, dylan usually does that Mm-hmm, but Not shocked, but I don't. No, I don't go out in my underwear there In the hallway, no, but I do. I will go check the mail, like on the first floor. Yeah, in my pajamas, okay, but I do put on like flip-flops, yeah, but I'm like.
Speaker 1:That's on like flip-flops, yeah, but I'm like that's different and you're, you're kind of covered. I'm covered up. Well, it is getting more and more casual. But I have a question. No, no, yes, I have a question. We can come back to you, because I saw this on social media and made me think I've never done this, so I just wanted to. Okay, I don't know if you've done this or not, may not relate to anybody. Have you ever talked going back to dating? It's been a while, but you dated a lot. I don't know if you've done this or not. It may not relate to anybody. Have you ever going back to dating?
Speaker 2:it's been a while, but you dated a lot.
Speaker 1:Well, you didn't really date, you had a lot of fun I dated.
Speaker 2:I did date. I was single for 13 years. You were.
Speaker 1:Have you ever left in the middle of a date?
Speaker 2:or been left. No, I left someone and I told you that you did. No, I left someone and I told you that you did. Yes, I don't remember the story. Yes, you do.
Speaker 1:No so.
Speaker 2:I had gone out with this, I would just end up in pickles.
Speaker 1:I know you would because you're naive.
Speaker 2:When point in my life and my mother really got, on to me because I was like I'm working so hard to own McDonald's and do this stuff, so I am only going to go out with people that are very well established.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I had to get on.
Speaker 2:It wasn't real, it wasn't real it was real and my mother told me that she said for God's sake, stephen, you're never going to meet you wanted someone that was my equal, equal or better or better, and that was tough to find in that age range and especially.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was what I kept telling you. I was like Stephen, you're not going to, you are an exception.
Speaker 2:Because you were like say you're early, 40s, yeah, or whatever, or late, 30s or late 30s, you own mcdonald's.
Speaker 1:It was different. I was 10 years ahead. Yeah, you were like 10 years ahead of your time and where most other people the majority would be in their careers at that time and you were discounting people because they hadn't made it to this level yet. You were trying to weed out. You were basing it on that at one period yeah, it wasn't about.
Speaker 2:It wasn't about the money for me, but I wanted to ensure that it wasn't about money for them, right, which was also stupid.
Speaker 1:But anyway, I can admit it, but you live and learn.
Speaker 2:Yeah, live and learn. So I go on this kind of blind date with this attorney here in Greenville, uh-huh, and we go to the blockhouse which is, you know, one of my it's on augusta road right up from our stores.
Speaker 1:It's kind of a divey type, so a staple yeah I did my normal.
Speaker 2:I kind of withheld what I did. Yeah, um, because that was something I always did. I didn't want, I didn't lay my cards on the table. You weren't going to know what I did Right. So we got I go and meet him and I'm dressed very casual. And he said, oh so, um, cause we had chatted before, yeah, and he was like you know, and he thinks he's fancy Cause he's he's trying to impress. Yeah, trying to impress, and he said so what do you do for McDonald's?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What is your job? I said I manage, oh, you manage a store. And I'm like, yeah, and you know, we get further in the conversation, like what area do you live in? I say you know, and it goes. And he was trying to brag bless his heart, he had nothing to brag about. And so I was really getting disgusted and turned off. Yeah, Just as a person. Yeah, You're so, not me, Right. And finally he said something like and what do you do for McDonald's? And I said, actually I'm a McDonald's owner, Mm-hmm. And it was like drop the fork moment and he was like a little taken aback, yeah, Because he realized he was making an ass of himself.
Speaker 1:But you also kind of busted his bubble. I did Because he thought he was.
Speaker 2:Because he thought he was something fancy and I was just disgusted by everything. I just don't like people like that. That's not who I am. I am proud Pickens County, poor white trash and I excused myself to go to the restroom and I got in my car and I left, did you?
Speaker 1:I did. You didn't even say like, hey, this isn't working out, I'm just going to go.
Speaker 2:No, because he was so braggadocious.
Speaker 1:And you knew that would be like a ego.
Speaker 2:It was just so, I was just so disgusted with this person and you know, Okay, but I have a question with this person.
Speaker 1:And you know, Okay, but I have a question. In that moment did you say I'm excusing myself to go to the bathroom with the intent to leave?
Speaker 2:Yes or were you?
Speaker 1:really going to the bathroom.
Speaker 2:I didn't even go to the damn bathroom. I made it around the corner and I ran. I was out of there. Oh my gosh, I left him sitting right there in blockhouse.
Speaker 1:Did he ever message you? I tried.
Speaker 2:I just never responded.
Speaker 1:I was like but like did he text you? Like are you okay, are you coming back?
Speaker 2:No, I think he put it together that my ass left.
Speaker 1:And I was just like.
Speaker 2:And so it was funny and I told my mother that and she was like you know, and she told me she was like the way you're thinking through this is wrong, and I was like I'm not looking for a sugar daddy, right, I just don't want to be a sugar daddy, right. And that was my whole hang up. When I met Dylan, I was like, oh, he's so young and cute and old and you know that was in my mind, right.
Speaker 2:And then you know, and we've been together five years and I can honestly say he's never asked for a penny.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's never been about that, Right, and he didn't know, and that's one thing. And he'll tell this. I didn't tell him for months that I owned McDonald's. Yeah, he he'll tell this. I didn't tell him for months that I owned McDonald's. He just thought I was in real estate. And then, you know, because you don't want, I didn't want to be that attorney, right.
Speaker 1:To him. Right, you didn't want to be like this is what I used to do. No.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:That is funny. I didn't. I don't remember that story at all.
Speaker 2:I told you that.
Speaker 1:So have you ever been walked out on? No, well, I guess that's a good sign, have you? I haven't, and I've never walked out on anybody, but I really haven't dated that much. You didn't date as much as.
Speaker 2:I did. I went for a while. I probably dated once. A week Went on a date.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I hated it.
Speaker 1:I really have not dated, honestly thinking about it, like I was with my ex, we met at work in Atlanta, like when I first moved there. I mean he and I started at the same job at the exact same day and so then we kind of met and hit it off there. And then, when that went down, the shitter, literally yeah day. And so then we kind of met and hit it off there and then when that went down, the shitter, uh, literally yeah. Then um, I, you know, started trying to meet people.
Speaker 1:But really I think I may have gone out with like maybe one or two people and then I met daniel between like we weren't even broken up that long and daniel was always like, am I the rebound, am I the rebound? And I was like no, you know whatever. And so yeah, and that was it, like I haven't really dated anybody. And then Daniel and I hit it off from the beginning. And here we are.
Speaker 2:I'm done Like Dylan, is it? I'm sticking with that till the graveyard. Well, first of all, he's wonderful, but second of all, I'm not interested in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so Daniel and I. It'll be 16 years, isn't that crazy? Yeah, and it's hard.
Speaker 2:And see, I was with my ex for 12 years, so I was. We met in my early, early 20s and then we split in my early 30s.
Speaker 1:So you were in that in-between age.
Speaker 2:And I want to tell you dating when you're in your 40s and 50s well, I mean, I haven't dated in my 50s, but I dated in my 40s. Yeah, you're not tolerant.
Speaker 1:Like in your 20s, you're tolerant of things that irritate you, you're growing together, hopefully maybe growing apart but I'm not tolerant now yeah like I can't now you know what you want and what I will. You, you had a lot of dates where people you just uh, I mean you would start like, oh, I really like them, or whatever, but then they would come over over to your house and do one thing I was like I can't. Yeah, you're like.
Speaker 2:And you were like Stephen, and I'm like I can't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, it would be one thing like oh they, I don't even know left their dirty plate on the counter.
Speaker 2:It wasn't about that one thing, it was just I knew that they were not. You knew the personality behind was just I knew that you knew the personality behind. I knew it wasn't going to go anywhere, right? So let's quit, let's not play house, right? I know it isn't going to go anywhere for the same reasons dylan and I are together, right or the same reasons.
Speaker 1:I couldn't tolerate that, yeah if they walked in, plop down on your sofa, kick their feet up on your coffee table with their shoes on, you're like you gotta go. Like that was an immediate okay. I know this type of I can read this personality their feet up on your coffee table with their shoes on, you're like you got to go. Like that was an immediate okay. I know this type of person. I can read this personality One funny thing.
Speaker 2:Okay, here's a funny thing, and I can make fun of myself. Everybody knows that listens to this that I'm legit OCD and I don't throw that around. People throw that terminology around. I actually take medication and OCD isn't just like oh, I'm obsessed with this or that you get loops in your head. It's a loop in your head, so you take medication that stops the loop. But I still have my little tendencies and I can laugh at it, right.
Speaker 2:And so I went out with this guy. This is a long time ago, this was probably 15 years ago, maybe. He was really really hot, I might add. He lived downtown and he was really nice, but we happened to have a mutual friend that I didn't know about at the time and we went out on a date and he kept taking my I'm not going to do it because that's so disrespectful, but we were in my car and I want to say it was, I think, when I had that gray convertible BMW, the second one and he kept pointing and you guys can't see it, but I'm touching the wall here, look, look, look. You know pointing at things and was just fingering.
Speaker 1:Touching your window.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you've told this before it, but I thought I'm going to kill you, yeah, and I said all I said was please let's not finger my windows. Yeah, and literally we had a good time but, I, never heard from him since.
Speaker 2:Well, I didn't think anything about it because I mean I was like he fingered my windows Like mm, mm, mm. No, and then fast forward like a year or two years later. I'm hanging out with a mutual friend and she's like I think it might've been after I met Dylan and she was telling Dylan, she was like Lord, he told somebody don't be finger in my window. I'm like, oh God, I bet he was like this guy is crazy and never called you back. And I am, but that's funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you told that that is hilarious. But what's funny is you tell everyone that to this day, If you meet Steven and you're going to get in his car, when you're opening the door, he's going to say, don't finger my windows. And you're going to get in. He will still tell me that. So the other day I got, or a couple of weeks ago I got my car washed, my truck washed for the first time in five years or so, see it literally Shining yeah, literally shining.
Speaker 1:Dust is out or whatever. So we're going to pick up something for the store and Stephen's going to ride with me and I'm like, don't finger my window.
Speaker 2:And Stephen's going to ride with me and I'm like don't finger my window and I'm not being sexist, so do not call in and dog on me for saying this. But I'm going to tell you a lot of women do it.
Speaker 1:I think it's an anybody thing.
Speaker 2:No, I've caught more women because men. This is why I think and you guys could tell me if you agree or disagree men are generally more car people than women.
Speaker 1:I mean they are in general, but I don't think that has them to do with touching your window.
Speaker 2:Oh it drops, it just pisses me. Look, oh look at that house. It just pisses me. Look, look at that house, Honey, you didn't have to run your finger down my window for me to see that house. You didn't need to oil up and finger up my window for me to see what you were pointing at. Why did you need to do that?
Speaker 1:That's true, I know it is a thing with you for sure. With your OCD, though you have gotten, I would say, slightly better in certain things, but it is going back. You do get in these loops, it's a loop.
Speaker 1:And some days it can be a loop of like I feel like calling me and just tell me what you're doing, like when we're working it could be. You'll call me and be like hey, I just left the home store and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and then call me 30 minutes later. Hey, I just left the garden store and blah, blah, blah, blah, and then you can, 10 minutes later, call me. Hey, I'm on my way to this and blah, blah, blah, blah, and it's all day long. You'll do that.
Speaker 2:And then the next day.
Speaker 1:You won't. You would tell me whenever we talk like oh, by the day, I ran back.
Speaker 2:What did you do? Yeah, it is. I didn't understand it. Actually, like last week I was listening to something on OCD and you know, it's kind of a self-discovery thing, like I do listen to it sometimes when I run across something or I read yeah, because I'm like I know that's something about me, right, and they were. I thought it was explained differently than I'd ever heard it explained.
Speaker 2:And it was that you get caught up in a loop. Right, your mental thoughts are in a loop. And then I realized so this is crazy Funny. You say that because I think it was last week I was in a loop like that. The funny thing is is I had not taken my medicine last week. And I was like when I read that, it hit me and I was like can I take it? It was me and I was like can I take?
Speaker 1:it. It was like an outside perspective it was. I'm in that right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it can be. And it's not just about what people don't realize, it's not just about cleanliness and windows and OCD like that.
Speaker 1:What people think it's kind of like mental file sorting.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying and it gets in a loop. Yeah, it's like a record. Did I do that? Did I do that? Am I going to do that? I got to do that, got to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, your brain, because sometimes the one that used to drive me crazy as your friend. But you've gotten I don't know if I've broken you of it or you've just gotten more comfortable with me, I don't know Occasionally you will still do this, but you would get on something that, hey, let's say, hey, on Wednesday can we meet at the garden store and do whatever. Yes, we'll do that. And then it could be a week out, 15 times a day. Hey, are we still going to meet on Wednesday at the garden store to do blah?
Speaker 2:blah blah. And it would be over and over you would ask the same question when there's something I wanted to do, like it could be oh, we need to redo this display, are we going to do this? Are we going to? Yes, so that, ironically, was my first issue being OCD, and that's what led to my mother getting me diagnosed and on medication, I'm sure that would just.
Speaker 1:Because I would finally be like Stephen. If you ask me one more time, then no, we are not doing it. I am reassuring you. I'd have to say it like this direct I am reassuring you that we are going to do this next wednesday. Blah, blah, blah blah. But if you ask me one more time, I'm not doing it so get in your mind right now that we're doing it and that would kind of cut it did kind of cut that out in my mother.
Speaker 2:So my thing was when I was, uh, a kid, in in middle school and high because I really didn't get medication until I was at Clemson I would ask questions, I asked questions. I had anything that got in that loop of is this going to happen, is this going to happen, is this going to happen? I would do that to my mother, and my mother was the sweetest soul and always had the sweetest little voice and she was just a little angel and she would say, stephen, honey, please, please, just don't ask me that again, please. It was like she was going to just break down and cry.
Speaker 2:I was like I'm sorry, because you've asked her just mean a thousand times so if you know somebody that gets in loops like that, they really can't help it and they probably, they probably need a little medication, yeah, and it will help. But yes, your brain just gets in this, uh, different kinds of loops and it's just, it's funny. Yeah, I can laugh at it, but yeah, I think the older I, the older I have gotten, uh, I know how to recognize it and control myself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's good. Well, it works in your favor some ways most of the time it does.
Speaker 2:Okay, I have a riddle for you oh, okay, let's do it.
Speaker 1:You know, I never get them right.
Speaker 2:Well, we'll see. We'll see how you do this time. Okay, what can't be touched but can be broken?
Speaker 1:What can't be touched but can be broken, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Dum, dum dum. See, it wasn't fun for you to ask me, because I got them. I know what can't be touched but can be broken like I can touch that window, I know, and I can break it, but this can't be touched, but it can be broken.
Speaker 1:Um heart, you can touch a heart.
Speaker 2:You can touch a heart, but heart's kind of like really not hard yeah, yeah, uh, I feel like you're close. You're going down the right right right road. What can't be touched but can be broken soul, you're, you're, you're right there with a promise, a promise see, you're getting better at this. True, I think you're getting better, okay, your brain is starting to go down those, down the right path. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know, Maybe you caught me on a semi Probably I don't know Decent day. I guess yeah.
Speaker 2:And I just want to point out something to you guys. See, we're not recording this yet, we're not videoing this yet yes, yes. We're. We're not videoing this yet. Yes, yes, we're going to be eventually. You can't see us, you can't see us, but I just want to let you guys know that I am here in wesley's office on the flower farm okay, you picked on me.
Speaker 1:Is this a picture, this moment?
Speaker 2:yes, picture this moment. You had picked on me for the last 20 minutes about my OCD, which I cannot help. So, I'm going to pick on you. Yes, so I'm in here in his office on a flower farm and I wish you guys could picture. Look at what I am looking at. There are these dead ass flowers in a vase that have literally they have mold growing on them and the water is brown.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is not a pretty picture.
Speaker 2:I just want people to know okay, you're not perfect either.
Speaker 1:No, I don't. I am far from perfect. I don't even try to say you know what? Let's do some perfect little things, no, so those flowers.
Speaker 2:Daniel did a Instagram Live takeover and he used those here and, I think, for a backdrop. What were those at one time? Snapdragons, snapdragons, okay, I can't even tell if they were like Snapdragons or Stock.
Speaker 1:So he brought those in and then we left for the beach and we also turned the air up and it's been hot and we haven't been in this room, you and I or him, for over I don't know a couple of weeks.
Speaker 2:And there's probably like 40 stems in that vase. Thank God, because if you could get a whiff of that water, it would probably nauseate you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know that water stinks, it is just so, yeah that's my pick on Wesley. It happens from time to time.
Speaker 2:But I will say this, and I say this all the time I truly envy people that can just like, that would just like.
Speaker 1:I would have already taken that In my defense. You and I walked in here at the same time.
Speaker 2:No one has been in here. Had you not been in here?
Speaker 1:No, I haven't been in here since.
Speaker 2:Well, you're really only in here mainly when we do podcasts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the last time I was in here is when we did podcasts.
Speaker 2:And they were pretty, then, yeah, they were pretty, so we'll get them replaced before the day the last time I came in I said, oh, I've got pretty flowers to look at and I'll be damned I come in and it's the same ones, but they're not so pretty. Okay, just a general reminder.
Speaker 1:Okay, just a general reminder, but before we move into the topic, I want to tell everyone, or ask you to call or text our hotline 864-982-5029. I want to go back and ask you have you ever left in the middle of a date?
Speaker 2:That's a good one.
Speaker 1:Or have you ever been left in the middle of the date? Because I feel like if you've been left, then is it your fault, like that person left you?
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying, so can you justify? Why they left that would have bruised me so bad if someone had left. I would have been like what did I do?
Speaker 1:So the person that I was listening to I think it was on social media, had to be was saying, or maybe it was on the radio, I can't remember where it was, but they had gone on this date and this guy was, you know, it was a girl and this guy was kind of like how you were talking about and she was like, oh, I'm going to go to the bathroom or whatever. And he was like are you leaving? Or something like that. And she was legitimately like no, you know, she was going to stick it out and she didn't leave. But he said are you leaving something? I think he said like my last two dates left in the middle or something like that.
Speaker 2:That's terrible.
Speaker 1:I know. But then you know she wanted to leave was the point, and so it's kind of like. You know I'm a pretty fun person you might need to check yourself if you're getting left multiple times yeah yeah, and I think she even afterwards texted and said this is, you know, maybe told him why to help him out.
Speaker 2:That's good. That's good Because, honestly, I do think you know I'm not perfect by any means, but I'm generally a fun.
Speaker 1:I'm usually a fun person. I want to hear on our hotline, or maybe just your date, catastrophes. If it's good enough, we'll call you. You know what?
Speaker 2:happened in the 70s. My mom was already divorced. I've got to interject. This was a good date story. Her friend went out on a date with a guy and then, like I, I said this was in the 70s, you couldn't get by with this now and I guess the guy I don't remember because I was young, but, um, I guess the guy got a little too fresh on.
Speaker 2:It was a first date and you know, stilettos were the thing, man yeah she took her shoe off and she beat him in the head with so it was a kind of a self-defense assault and I think about that, like so I know where her parents live. Her parents live near my grandparents and then her house is across the street. So if you're listening to this, it was you. Um, and I think of it every time I go home, like go back to Clemson, I'm like, oh, I remember when she beat the shit out of that guy with her high heel shoe. That's funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I thought that was smart.
Speaker 2:Even as a kid I was like dang, that was smart, yeah that was. Because she's tiny. Yeah, like tiny woman. I guess he let up after that. I guess he did. I guess he went and got stitches. That's crazy. I mean, I think it was, it was bad, I think it was bad Dang.
Speaker 1:How do you explain that? Walking in so you know work or meet your friends?
Speaker 2:You know, everybody could tell how do you?
Speaker 1:get those stitches. Oh, I got the shit beat out of me with the stiletto, yeah by a woman.
Speaker 2:That's a girl.
Speaker 1:That's five feet tall, weighs 90 pounds. Yeah, that's funny. Let's talk about tipping Tipping culture. Okay, I feel like this is a hot topic.
Speaker 2:Well it's. I think it's a topic that has gotten really out of hand, in my opinion. Right, and I come from this a service industry, and so do you. You've always been in service to some degree, in some degree.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was never a waiter. I wasn't. Either I would have been really good at it or a server you would have been. I always think I would have been, but then I think I wouldn't have been. I would have been from the customer service standpoint.
Speaker 2:But you would have forgotten shit. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I would have forgotten your sauces and to come back and fill up your drink, you would have forgotten. I would have forgotten so many things. You would have been really friendly, but you would have forgotten half of oh everything yeah, oh, I was supposed to get that.
Speaker 1:Hold on, I'll be right back then they flagged me down the next time. I'm still waiting on. Oh yeah, hold on I Hold on.
Speaker 2:I think I would have been really. I would have made a lot of money at it, Okay.
Speaker 1:So, okay, there's two parts that are, to me, tipping and kind of a second part that isn't really tipping but I still want to discuss. But there's the tipping culture, and then there's now what really made me think about it is there's this rounding up thing going on. I went last week I don't really, you know, go out and shop that much personally, but I was like, oh, I had this. I ended up in one day like I went, had to go to PetSmart for something. I went, I think, to the grocery store for something. I had to go to Lowe's for something for our store, like three big places and every place I went that day when you went to check out, they were like would you like to round up for such and such?
Speaker 2:charity.
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, hell, no, I want to round up for myself, okay, but here's the thing. Let's start with the rounding up first. That's the thing I want to know. Do you, stephen, or anyone listening out there do you ever really round up when you see that? Because you have that instant where you kind of feel a little guilty, like, oh, I should be donating to. No, I don't feel guilty, here's the thing, or whatever.
Speaker 2:Here's the thing, I have my charities, my personal charities, that I Will donate to. I donate to, yes, I'm diligent about it and I love doing it and. I love sharing. Yeah, and there are other charities and I'm not going to get into who, what.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to get into that Right that, like, my mother worked with one one huge one in the country and I really looked into it and then I realized how little of the donations go to help the people and I'm like I was really disgusted by that. So do I feel bad about it? No, do I round up? No, mcdonald's has just started, like in the past year, doing roundup for the Ronald House. Obviously, I used to be on the board of the Ronald House and I'm very passionate. That is one of my charities. And so I do round up at McDonald's, only not because it's McDonald's, but because that is one of my personal charities.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I have kind of two things and I know you probably don't know the backside of this, but here is my question. First of all, if I donate at PetSmart or Lowe's or whatever A is there anywhere you can see that that money was actually donated is what I really want to know. The second part of that is I know there's probably, I would think, somewhere where it says you know, we donated X amount of dollars to this charity. I would think that would have to be listed somewhere. I don't know if it's public or not. But then the third part of that is what are they getting from it? Those places are not doing that and not getting something from that, like they are and I'm not saying they're making money off of it, but I guarantee you they're taking the credit card processing fees out of that donated amount. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:They're not losing money by accepting your donation Right. I would say that when you donate and there's a credit card processing fee of 3%, you know they're deducting that from that charity. Okay, I would think I agree with you, and then are they charging a service fee, that they're deducting something Like oh well, we had to process this through our accounting. We're charging you a service fee, like that's what I want to know.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm not saying they are. Yeah, I can say and I've wondered the same thing, but I can't speak for anybody else other than McDonald's and but but even with McDonald's, because that's going well. I wasn't finished OK so here's what I do Well, I wasn't finished, Okay go ahead.
Speaker 2:So here's what I do know and what I don't know. Yeah, I do not know how it works with the POS system and doing it through the credit card Right Processing. I do not know that. What I do know is like the canisters in the drive-thru and the front counter. I do know where that money goes. Oh, yeah, because you, you count that manually yes yes, the owner.
Speaker 1:The owner collects that and the owner writes the check to the ronald house so do you think there's any really shitty owners that are counting that money and oh, my goodness, I have to have to say, I have to say no way, come on.
Speaker 2:I mean, that would be like stealing from the church. I just can't imagine that.
Speaker 1:Like there hasn't been any exposed that you know of.
Speaker 2:No, no, honestly. I mean, I know many, many, many McDonald's owners and the good, the bad, the ugly. I do not know any that would have done that Right and I don't believe that Now. What I do know is you have some slimy employees that won't think twice, so it has to be safeguarded. Like I only had the keys, I only had access.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I haven't been through a McDonald's's in forever. I don't even know if they still have those boxes because I used to be under the um, like even the drop yeah, yeah, there's some, but I haven't noticed it.
Speaker 2:Moonville's still there, okay but I I baited on it one time and put marked bills in to see if I got them back.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and I didn't.
Speaker 2:Well, that's good. So I didn't. So I knew that's when I tightened down on that, because it used to be in McDonald's. Every McDonald's in the United States had to donate $100 a month to the Ronald McDonald House and that was your little chance at maybe breaking even. But you didn't. Back in the 80s and early 90s, people just didn't do that. It was a different. You know how this whole conversation is about tipping and how it's evolved. People didn't donate like that, and so you went in the hole every month on what, and then, as it started changing in the late 90s and 2000s, it really got to be a lot of money, so you were actually donating more than that.
Speaker 2:Okay, so with that, but how it works with the POS and the, I don't know.
Speaker 1:So if anyone out there has a background in this, maybe you work for a company and you know how this works in this setup.
Speaker 2:Yeah, do you write off some of?
Speaker 1:the fees. Yeah, are some of the fees written out of the donation? Do you charge a, you know, a service fee to those donations? And there should be something.
Speaker 2:I mean I wouldn't be that petty, but I do know in McDonald's, every time you swipe a card, even a gift card, to check the balance the way that's designed nationally, it's two cents yeah it's charging you.
Speaker 1:Two pennies every time I mean it even works that way now at our With our gift cards.
Speaker 2:Way now at our with our gift cards, yeah, with our gift cards. It's kind of a rip-off kind of um yeah, that's kind of wrong the way they do that yeah, it doesn't charge the customer no, it charges us as the merchant.
Speaker 1:Yeah uh, I think it's wrong yeah, or, you know, when someone uses their credit card in store, I mean, everyone knows that it charges us, the merchant, merchant, a fee, and that's fine because we're getting something out of it. Yeah, but sometimes, yeah, we're getting the convenience and the sale and all of that, and it's just part of business now.
Speaker 1:But you know, it's usually probably on average, around 3%. It can vary depending on the thing, but you know some of them are like 3% and 25 cents per. It's like you're saying you swipe it, that's 25 cents and then they charge you 3% of your sales and McDonald's had negotiated that on behalf of all the owners nationally.
Speaker 2:But then and I'm not going to speak to this too much as I was getting out of McDonald's, something had happened somewhere somehow, where not customer the customer was not cheated, but the McDonald's owners were cheated. And so there's been a huge class action lawsuit going on for the past seven years and an owner called me and so basically I was robbed and I don't know how much they that. I don't know how much was stolen. I really don't.
Speaker 1:Were they charging a higher percentage or something? You know that was?
Speaker 2:I'm going to be honest, I did not read. I read enough and I did not read enough to know, because I'm a pessimist and I'm like I'm never going to get any of that money back anyway. So I didn't really want to know. But then you had to have a representation. So I have an attorney in Texas Dallas, texas and so I get updates and now they're at the payout stage and it's billions of dollars. So some owner friends of mine, they think they're going to get, they're going to be able to buy a house with this money, and maybe they will, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Well, you know how much that lawyer is going to get. They take 30% yeah.
Speaker 2:They're taking 30% because I did sign that, you know, and I'm like, first of all, I've never sued anyone in my life, yeah, and I would not have even signed up for that had I not been the one being robbed, like it wasn't, we were just suing somebody. They took money from us, yeah, illegally, and they took money from us illegally, and so I did it, but I've laughed the whole time.
Speaker 1:It'll be interesting to see. I can't wait to get the check.
Speaker 2:Just to see how it is why don't we just?
Speaker 1:why don't you just? Since you don't know how much, it is? Okay, and it's gone. Yeah, it's gone. When the check comes, split it with me. It could be $5, we split, or $500 or $5,000. Okay, it could be $5, we split, or $500 or $5,000.
Speaker 2:Okay, what if it's $50,000? I'll split it. I don't care. I mean, it's failed money, like it was stolen from me over many years. Yeah, so it wasn't like and I'm not saying stealing's okay, I'm just saying I don't even know. It was so complicated it was so complicated and I even looked like they sent me a copy of my numbers over all the years from all the restaurants to verify it and it was so overwhelming I was like I guess that's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah you have no way of, I have no way of really knowing Pinpointing, I think.
Speaker 1:You're going to end up with like a $50 check.
Speaker 2:I think we'll. I doubt we could buy dinner with it.
Speaker 1:It's going to be funny to see.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we'll tell it on the podcast. I mean it'll be funny to see.
Speaker 1:Do you know when you're supposed to get this?
Speaker 2:payout. I was supposed to in May and then I got an email that you know they have drugged this out but it's made it. Through all of the appeals and everything like that, it's done, yeah, but then the payout I think it's going to be. Maybe they're saying now September, October.
Speaker 1:They're trying to hold on to that money and get some interest.
Speaker 2:As much as they can. It's in the billions of dollars, but then when you look at the people, they owe, they owe like merchants all over the country, yeah, so.
Speaker 1:I don't know what they did.
Speaker 2:And I hate to be that stupid about it, but I was like I have such little confidence that this is going to make a hill of beans in my life. I'm not going to waste a lot of time, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, so that's the rounding up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't round up. We took some detours on that. Yeah, that's okay so.
Speaker 1:I don't round up. We took some detours on that, yeah. So I don't round up because I, like you, I donate in different ways and know who I'm going to donate to so we'll just leave that at that.
Speaker 1:And I'm not going to donate because I can't see directly where that is going. That's what bugs me about that. And I want to know, like I want to know, if I donate a dollar, what is coming out of that before it hits the charity, charities and things like you're talking about. But then when it hits the charity, um, then very little of that ends up going to the actual cause because they have to have you know, it's understandable, they have to have administration, administrative people and you know whatever, um, but when you see that, if you follow it, how little of it ends up going to the actual cause?
Speaker 2:sometimes it's kind of like, oh gosh, it's scary. Sometimes it's kind of like, well gosh, it's scary. Yeah, it's kind of sad and that's why I was saying like I'm not going to knock any charities. But I will say, like the Ronald McDonald House is one of mine and I will tell you from being an owner and being on the board your money goes to the cause, yeah, and you can speak to that too, because we actually have a Ronald McDonald house here in Greenville that you've directly worked with and seen the impact of.
Speaker 1:Oh, I've seen the financials, I've seen it all, because not every city has. Do you know how many houses there are?
Speaker 2:I should know that, but no, I know South Carolina. We have two. We have one in Greenville and we have one down in Charleston. And listen, I am no longer on the board, I'm no longer a McDonald's owner.
Speaker 2:But if you have one in your city and you want to do something, if you've got a gardening club, a women's club, whatever a neighborhood group, and you want to do something, go to the Ronald McDonald House and talk to them. There's so many things you can do that's so good for you. It's just amazing. I mean, it's helpful to even go there and make a meal for the people that are there. And basically, if you don't know about the Ronald House, if you have a sick child that hopefully isn't terminal but very ill, you can stay at the Ronald McDonald House and not have to pay for a hotel and the house asks for an $8 per day donation. But if you can't afford it, that's okay, and so, basically, it's a home away from home. You have a living room, you have a playroom, you have a kitchen, you have a private bedroom and bathroom. It's like a hotel, but it's like a home. It's safe and secure.
Speaker 1:Especially when families get displaced because, they may have to travel to a hospital away from their home, and then they need a place to sit.
Speaker 2:It's usually the way it is and it's usually in walking distance to the hospital and sometimes the house will do things. I know when I was on the board of the house there was a student at Clemson University and her family had little means and she wasn't from the upstate and she had a serious cancer and she had to have treatments at the hospital and had to be in close proximity to the hospital and they could not afford a hotel close you know, it was just not in the cards.
Speaker 2:So we actually gave her a room a room, you know, a suite at the Ronald House, and she lived there for a year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, free For the treatment, that is a good cause out there. So let's get into tipping away from charities. So I feel like we need to play am I the asshole? On tipping? Okay, and see where you tip or don't tip. First of all, daniel and I, we are very good tippers when it comes to restaurant and service. Okay, so we will tip, even if the food is crappy, but we have good service because that is what that server is providing.
Speaker 1:And Daniel has been a server before Right, and so we're very good tippers in that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, daniel and Dylan have been servers, so we've got that perspective.
Speaker 1:Right. But, like I said, even as long as you provide good service, we will tip very well. But I feel like it's gotten out of control on the tipping and I think it's partially because the technology with the register systems and everything, you can just turn on a button that says we accept tips, like we can turn one on on our register system for our garden shop and the home store so we could turn it on and make you feel like you need a tip because we made your flower arrangement or whatever. You know what I'm saying and I feel like maybe that's part of why tipping is becoming more and more, because it's so easy just to have that in front of the customer's face. Same with like apps and you know in services, even if you're going to pick up something, the app will say like do you want to provide a tip, or whatever. So I don't know. It's like where does it stop? Where do you cut it off? As far as you know, tipping Like for me, I can understand and it's been around to tip at a restaurant.
Speaker 2:Everyone knows they make nothing.
Speaker 1:Servers make nothing and they depend on tip. But then am I the asshole when I go to Starbucks. I'm not tipping at Starbucks and I know Dylan worked at Starbucks he was the manager there for whatever but why would I tip at Starbucks for someone who made my coffee? When I pull through the drive-thru, I order an item and I pull up to the window and they make it. Why would I tip at a Starbucks and not at Burger King or McDonald's or Chick-fil-A?
Speaker 2:And they make a lot of money at Starbucks and their drinks are quite expensive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but besides that, you're making my drink, but someone had to make my burger or whatever whatever my salad or whatever at any of these other places. So why? Why there would you tip and not, but am?
Speaker 2:I the asshole? I don't think so because I do the same and I funny. You bring this up because sometime in the past 10 days we had lunch at one of the local little hot dog places here in Greenville Skin's Hot Dogs, which I love. It's probably the best hot dog on earth. And yeah, I've been going there for like 40-something years and I've noticed and I always tip them because they really wait on you there, they're really sweet and they really go out of their way and I will always tip. But the owners have a sign posted in there that tipping there is not customary or expected, that they pay their employees a fair wage and do not worry about tipping. Oh well, that's good. I was impressed by that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because this day and time you don't really get that right but see, personally I haven't been to skins in forever because I stopped eating the meat, but I have been. But you walk up to a counter and they give you a hot dog On the bun.
Speaker 2:You walk up to the counter you order the hot dog If it's to go, If it's there, you sit down and they come out and wait on you.
Speaker 1:Oh, they do. Okay, well then I would tip.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they get your chips and your drink and your hot dogs.
Speaker 1:The last I remember, you just walked up, ordered your hot dog. If it's to go, yeah, chips and left, okay. Um, so then it just goes back to why are we tipping everywhere, like I just the starbucks is?
Speaker 2:a great. Where does it stop and where?
Speaker 1:does it stop? For example, I went got my car wash. Like I mentioned previously, I went to one of the car washes. It was an automatic car wash. You got out no, yeah, you rode through. Was an automatic car wash. You got out no, yeah, you rode through it an automatic. But there was an attendant. When you walked up they were like which option would you want? I said this option. They took my card and charged it and then they said put your car neutral and then it pulls you through. So it's automatic washing. But then when you get to the end, someone walks up and you get out of your car and they pull it up to the vacuum and they vacuum it and wipe it down for you, that sort of thing.
Speaker 1:So I was standing there I was like, damn, I guess I'm going to have to tip. After I just paid like 40 something dollars for this car wash or whatever. And then and I was fine I tipped. But I'm like do you tip? You came there for a car wash. Like you know what I'm saying, like that was what you came there for. I tipped but then I was like do I tip? Should I tip? It's gotten, it's gotten.
Speaker 2:Really, Now my $40 car wash is a $50 car wash you know Well, I'll say this and I don't want to get attacked, so please, please, don't say anything mean to me. I don't want to get attacked.
Speaker 1:So please, if please don't say anything mean to me?
Speaker 2:Are you the asshole? No, but when I was a manager in McDonald's before I was an owner, you know I every once in a blue moon someone would randomly tip, and I had a policy If you got a tip, you you gave it to the Ronald house. Oh yeah, I'm like no, you're not keeping it because there's so many people here making it happen. That isn't fair. But you were the one face that got the tip, so you're going to put the tip in the Ronald House. Yeah, You're going to donate it to the Ronald yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't think that's a bad thing though, because, like you're saying, you're at, say, McDonald's, you had the people on the line, the people on the fry line, the people on the register. You know it's so broken up. Who gets that tip? Who provided?
Speaker 2:And I know some of them put them all together and divide it. But if you don't have that, like in that time, it was just random here and there and I was like it's just not fair. Yeah, because it's not that commonplace, it isn't, it isn't, it isn't. But you know, like when women go get manicures and pedicures, yeah, you tip Right, well, and I go get my hair cut.
Speaker 1:You tip?
Speaker 2:I tip too and like last time, okay, here's what I did about myself. I was running late, I was 10 minutes late and you know, I guess that's a big deal for hair salons. Anyway, I felt guilty, so I doubled the tip. But I'm like, I would rather double the tip and not be an issue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess so, and I tip when I get my hair cut too, but then it's like just, and I guess that's become commonplace, so it's customary. But just charge me what you want to make Seriously.
Speaker 2:I'm paying you directly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like, just charge if it needs to be whatever, just charge that. So I don't have. So I know, and I don't have to tip you. And then you know some days I'm like you know, see, the thing is they flip the machine around now. And, and you know, some days I'm like you know, see, the thing is they flip the machine around now and it's got 15, 20 and 30 on there. Then you feel like the asshole hitting 15 or the 20. You got to hit the 30.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you do down, like Jenny's ice cream downtown. Yeah, they have that. They turn it around and then you know they're looking at it, right, that's my thing, if you, if it's become so easy to turn that screen, on that at the ice cream places and all they're doing scooping.
Speaker 1:I'm not tipping it up. I'm not tipping there. Why would you tip there? You walked in. Oh, we need feedback guys, we need feedback yeah I mean, that's what I said is a hot topic.
Speaker 2:I need help with this because I'm feeling guilty.
Speaker 1:Text us your top places you do tip and the top ones you don't. I want to know. Our hotline is 864-982-5029. Okay, I'm walking into the ice cream store. I am there to get ice cream. Your job, they're not making ice cream. That shit's coming in frozen. It's right there in the case. You scoop it out and you put it in my cup and I pay. Why am I tipping you? That's going back to Starbucks. Why do I tip you to make a drink? Why wouldn't I tip at McDonald's or Burger King or Taco Bell?
Speaker 2:But see, it's an emotional topic and you feel like an asshole.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:It came up with friends of ours. We had dinner with the other night and this came up. I'm not going to call this place out, but it is a local Greenville place and they provide services. I don't know what to say. It's like prepared food Okay, prepared food Okay, but they're not making it for you.
Speaker 1:It's already prepared in there.
Speaker 2:It's like to-go meals that you then go home and cook, yes, but you're picking it up, you're going in, you're taking it out. They're not bringing it to your car, they're not doing anything. You're getting it out of a case. You're getting it out of a case. It's not even made specifically for you. So this is friends of ours, right? Yeah, it's like you're walking into a retail store.
Speaker 1:It's not like they called and ordered this. Hey, can you make me this prepared meal? No, you're walking in and getting a metal pan with a lid on it and then you go home and you put it in your oven, correct.
Speaker 2:Okay. So, and these are friends of ours, yours too, and it's husband and wife, and we're talking about the same subject. It's so funny that you brought this up, and you know. And she said I just think it's so odd that they have tipping on there, and the husband says that's bullshit, I'm not tipping, yeah. And he said you didn't tip, did you?
Speaker 1:and she's like yes because you feel bad when they flip the screen around and you know they're looking at you.
Speaker 2:You know they are. And how are you in see all these things run through your head? Are they gonna, or am I to get good service next time? Are they going to talk about me and then you? Then it goes through my head because, oh well, we own a business on in the same city Right Now they're going to know who I am.
Speaker 2:And yes, people know us Right, and it's like, do you just give everybody a tip? But then here's the thing Okay, I'll take this. So, all these people, you go to Neiman Marcus and you have a person waiting on you. Now, obviously, you're paying a little more, you're buying something nice.
Speaker 1:But they're making commission?
Speaker 2:They are, but I'm just saying they're not asking for tip. Yeah, You're buying a product and they're bringing you stuff to the dressing room. They're helping you. Right, they're getting down if you're buying shoes helping you. They're doing a lot more than the people at Starbucks.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, yeah, that's what I'm saying. Where do you draw the line? They're providing a service. I don't know Selling you those clothes that's going to rack up the price and, like Starbucks, for example, they pay good.
Speaker 2:They do, I'm not saying they're paying you know.
Speaker 1:No one in any of these positions is making millions of dollars, but why is it? You go to Starbucks, that's what you're getting a coffee. So why do I need to tip you for making my coffee? It's no different than going to any. I know I've already said this, but it just drives me up the wall. I want to turn it on the tipping at our retail stores for like three days, just to see how guilty.
Speaker 2:the people feel I just can't do that and I told this couple that we're friends with. I said Wesley and I have often talked about turning it on just to see. I know Like a social experiment. It's a social experiment, not for the money.
Speaker 1:There's no reason and it'd be interesting to turn it on at both stores, because one's home decor, one's the garden shop, which that does have service, because we pot people's containers, people call in and custom order arrangements, Even for a social experiment.
Speaker 2:We can't do it we put flowers together.
Speaker 1:It'd be interesting to see between the two places. Do people go into a regular retail store that provides it's just the items? I mean we do service and we're helping you but it's two different types of mentality. I feel, like there Would people tip just because the screen is there? How do you feel if you're out there listening to us, when that screen flips around or pops up that has the pre-populated tips or ask you for a tip, did you automatically feel the urge that you have?
Speaker 2:to tip. Well, I'm going to take it a step further, because it's right there with tipping. Well, first of all I'll say one thing I do excessively tip. At certain places it skins hot dogs. I tip probably 50% because, I feel like it's a.
Speaker 2:It's a, it's a mom and pop business. I feel like they legit can't pay a lot, right, and I don't know how much they pay. I'm just saying I feel like those people work for a lower amount and and I'm just being nice, yeah, and the other place is Waffle House oh, me too.
Speaker 1:Waffle House. I'll give those.
Speaker 2:They work very hard.
Speaker 1:My meal will be $4.
Speaker 2:And they get a $20.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I give them like a $10 or a $20. Yeah, and if it's holiday season I'll give them.
Speaker 2:They'll get a $50 or $100. And it's the way it is and I feel good about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's my charity sometimes, but okay, so we do that. So Daniel and I are really good. We never tip unless you just provided really bad service, Like when we go out to eat. It's never below, usually like 25%, but never, below 20% for sure, and usually more like 25% or 30%.
Speaker 1:But then if we go, we have a couple of places too, like our local right down the street less than half a mile, our go-to Mexican restaurant, because the food is cheap there, and we go in there and I think we look at it from being A business owners and B Daniel's been in the industry and when you're like, oh, our meal, we were here an hour, our meal was, you know, it's just not enough 25 or whatever. And there's, it's a small place. So you're calculating like okay, this server is only going to help. Maybe you know six to nine tables if they each have like three table. You know, kind of, we kind of calculate it like that or whatever, and we're like we always way over tip there we're always gonna leave.
Speaker 2:I, I agree, and we have our favorite restaurant. That was your first date with daniel, and it was mine and dylan's first day isn't that random that funny years it's our favorite restaurant, you know, just a good go-to, and it's trio in downtown Greenville and we have our favorite server there, kelly, and she waits on us every time and we get awesome service and she's just a doll and she's always going to get a great tip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, always there you go. Because, you've developed that relationship, yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's great service. Like we feel good about it, we go in. We know her, it's just so easy. She knows what we eat every time, because we eat the same damn thing. Yeah, okay, tag on this with. So here's let me add this Okay, this goes right with tipping. Now it's getting like commonplace that you take certain people gifts, like at Christmas and stuff.
Speaker 1:Oh, like your hairdresser, your hairdresser.
Speaker 2:Where does that stop? See, I'm not good with this, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm not doing that either. Oh hell, I barely get you a gift, that's true. Well, most of your years I don't. I'm out on the gift one, yeah.
Speaker 2:You can count me out.
Speaker 1:That's not coming down this line.
Speaker 2:I don't do that because we don't have time during holidays.
Speaker 1:I will be the asshole on that one for sure, because I can barely get you or Daniel a gift. I'm not doing that.
Speaker 2:We're very very busy.
Speaker 1:I don't know you like that. Getting someone a gift is almost like hugging someone. It's personal. You know what I'm saying. I mean, it'd be one thing if it's like I host this gift and then we show up and give you flowers or something, but no, I'm not taking, I'm not running by. Oh, it's holiday season. This friday I'm gonna run by my bank and my hair person and my massage person.
Speaker 2:Listen, give them all gifts. Let me say this I'm nicer than Wesley. I personally would love to do that on some level, but we don't have time During holiday season, when we're not working.
Speaker 1:You may not have the time, I don't have the wheel.
Speaker 2:I'm not doing that.
Speaker 1:You can blame it on time if you want to. I don't have the wheel. I don't have the wheel. I'm not doing that, you. You can blame it on time if you want to, I don't have the wheel. I don't have the care.
Speaker 2:I you're over and now you're just not doing it I'm not doing it.
Speaker 1:You don't deserve a gift from me like no, I come to you as a customer. That'd be like our customers. Well, we do have some of this we do. Yeah, I am. Yeah, I am the asshole, but that's okay.
Speaker 2:I mean, we have our online customers that send us great gifts.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And it's super sweet and I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yes, and here's the thing Okay, now I feel like we're talking. You feel like an asshole? No, I really don't, because I'm not doing it, but think of it like this.
Speaker 2:Uh, but think of it like this. They send us gifts, they bring gifts to the stores and we get shipped to us. Very thoughtful gifts. A lot of things, handmade, a lot of special things, and they even have food delivered to us Cakes For our birthdays. So I want you to think about it just like this. So when we are working seven days, I mean, there's like eight weeks we work seven days a week for eight weeks.
Speaker 1:Well, we've been working seven days a week for the last three months, but I'm saying it's really bad during holidays. We're tired?
Speaker 2:We don't. It's true it's rough. Think about how much, how we get excited over that, and so, if you think about it, like, hairstylists are swamped during the holidays too, because everybody wants their hair done, so I'm sure it makes their day too. So we have to think on it, on that.
Speaker 1:Oh hell, I'm the asshole. I'm the winner. You have to think about it, but I'm not doing that. I'm not asshole, I'm the winner.
Speaker 2:You have to think about it, but I'm not doing that, I'm not doing. All I'm saying is I think you would be different if we were not in the demanding business we're in, like if we didn't work and we had the time to do those things. I think it would change. Yeah, you know it's different when you've got time. No, I'm not that thoughtful, it wouldn't change I would. You're a jerk.
Speaker 1:So it is a big question when does the tipping culture stop? And that's not a thing in other countries. They don't tip. But where does it stop? I feel like it's becoming more and more and more. Do you know, speaking of that, even I was in our?
Speaker 2:we use Shopify for our website not our app, but for our website. Don't tell me they ask for tips.
Speaker 1:You can turn on to ask for a tip in there.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness.
Speaker 1:It's everything. Everything has an option where you can ask for a tip if you want to. I'm not has an option where you can ask for a tip if you want to. I'm not. It is just a fine line of who gets the tip and who doesn't get the tip. That's the problem.
Speaker 2:I mean, how do you feel about it? Do you work in an industry that you feel like?
Speaker 1:you should get a tip or shouldn't get a tip. What I was going to say is when we we still have the garden shop, but when I worked in it, in the store more even back in five, ten years ago, when we made deliveries, we rarely got tip.
Speaker 2:I've gotten one tip in my life From the garden store. No, no, no, no, no. Not even from. I've gotten one tip in my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that would have been in the 80s, mm-hmm. And that would have been at the Pickens McDonald's. When I was doing a birthday party, I got a $5 tip. To this day I remember who gave it to me. Well that's, I run into them sometimes, like during Christmas, just out and about Out, and about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's crazy. I got a few tips at the garden store just randomly. Never got a damn one, but used to. You know we would deliver. We still deliver arrangements. I'm just not the one that does it.
Speaker 1:We use a service, and now we use a service that delivers for us, so we don't have a direct hire delivery driver. I wonder if they get tipped. I don't know, I wonder if they do. But even our employees, sometimes they would come back and be like oh, I got a tip, but it was not the norm. I would say maybe one out of 20 times they got a tip.
Speaker 2:And that listen. I'm not asking for a tip for our employees.
Speaker 1:We pay very well, but to me, that, but to me that deserves more of a tip than handing a coffee, yeah, or in a cup of coffee, yeah, because you know what do you know what our um, bodies and brain went through trying not to tip that? Vase over on the way to your house or doing the arrangement yeah, or putting it together, but I'm just saying delivering, oh my God Do you know how many times I spilt one in the car.
Speaker 2:I hate delivery because of that, not because of going and doing it. It's keeping them from not following you. You feel like you're driving a I don't know An atomic bomb around.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's like I got to not disturb it too much. Oh, and I just now thought what started this whole topic? Because I put this in my notes and I was like we got to talk about tipping. So this is what made me think about the whole tipping thing, and I know I was in the right, but I still felt in this instant like, oh, are they judging me?
Speaker 1:So Daniel and I were recently at our Hilton Head condo and in the condo complex by the pool there is a beach bar or a pool bar, little restaurant, and then it also has a general store with it and it used to kind of be like I guess it was all the same owner, but it used to be you walked inside and it was like the general store and they had chairs and umbrellas and pool things and beach things or whatever, and then on the outside by the pool was the bar and you could order food and stuff like that. Now it's kind of like you walk in and they do have the general store stuff, but it's kind of the one side it's all together now and then they have seating inside which they didn't used to have, and they even have an indoor bar and outdoor bar.
Speaker 1:So there's no like walking into a retail store. So there's no like walking into a retail store. There's no checkout counter, basically because they come around with their like iPad or whatever to ring you up, like they're walking around and they'll ring you up. So I just walked over to like the bar area to ring me up, but we were getting umbrellas and chairs because we needed to replace ours for the season and I was like, let's go to them to support them. That's good, you see what I'm saying. So we get our umbrella and chairs and we go to checkout, which is at the bar, to checkout. I know it sounds weird, but it makes sense the way it is. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, their POS system is set up for their basically restaurant bar. So when I checked out with the umbrella and chairs, it asked me for a tip because that's just the setting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you knew that, but most people wouldn't.
Speaker 1:So I knew it, but for a split second. I almost left the tip, like for a split second. And then I felt judged, even though not that they did anything, they were super nice. But you know, know, it's that emotional feeling of, oh, I just declined the tip, like we feel guilty for that. But then I was like, no, wesley, it's fine, like that tipping system is in place for their bar and food service, but it's all one register system. That's why it pops up, because you can't if you turn tipping on. You can't turn it on for some things and not other things. So it's just an option, it is a guilty thing. So it made me feel guilty for a split second. And then I was like no, no, no, you're overthinking it. So that's what made me start thinking about how far does the tipping go. So we need to hear from you. Hotline text us or call us 864 982-5029.
Speaker 2:We've got to talk more about this on another podcast. We need feedback.
Speaker 1:I want to hear from you when do you tip? Where is too far? Where are you not going to tip? Yeah, are you in the business? And we are out of town. Yeah, we've got to pull this baby over. We've got stuff to do. You done took me an extra mile or two, let's get out of here.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to this week's episode of who's Driving. Remember to leave us a review. That can be your tip. That is your tip to us. Just leave us a review, a star rating, wherever you're listening to your podcast. Remember if you need our hotline number. You can find it down in the show notes below and we'll see you next week. Thanks, guys.