What is that about??

I'm confused...okay, more confused than normal.  Where did this new trend start?  The one where you tip the drive-thru employee at Tim Horton's (TH)??  I don't get that!  And it's got nothing to do with just getting back from Australia where tipping is verboten...well, not really forbidden, but definitely frowned upon!  I've noticed it's been going on for a while.  I first noticed it when I moved back to NB from Ottawa.  Now grant it, I'm not a coffee drinker, so the times I would have driven-thru a TH's in Ontario would be limited, but I'm fairly certain that this trend is localized here in the Maritimes.  I'm all for a tip when someone has waited on your table and provided expedient service, or at least something above and beyond the job that they are paid to do.  So that's where I get confused...the drive-thru employee at TH's is just doing just that..."the job that they are paid to do"....and quite often, it's not done very quickly!  Mind you, I realize it's not the employee's fault if some bonehead is in the drive-thru lane ordering soups and sandwiches for all their office colleagues, but only after asking which are the soups available on that day, followed by what are the sandwich options and a request for the ingredient list of each sandwich.  But more often than not, it's just slow service.  I know I'm coming off sounding a bit cheap...and I know that employees at TH work hard, cause I've worked there on a couple of occasions...and I was in uniform at the time, wearing 25+lbs of gear on my gun belt...so I KNOW they earn every cent.  I KNOW they are likely overworked and underpaid...but I don't see it as my duty to supplement their salary.   I figure it should be enough that I take my business there, which, in turn, ensures that the store stays open and they remain gainfully employed.  And who knows...if my job hunt doesn't pick up soon, you may soon see me on the service side of the TH drive-thru window...at which time I won't be expecting a tip from you as you receive your coffee and donut!!

WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:  It's a big day for us Corrie Street fans!  William Roache, aka Ken Barlow, is coming to Halifax in the spring.  I'm waiting patiently for the tickets to go on sale so I can get the VIP ones that ensure a photo op and autographed picture at the end of the show.  Oops, gotta run.  I'm hearing the introduction music to tonight's episode....