As a fellow servant to the general public I often find myself angry and extremely tired after a long day at work. I wonder, is it because of the long hours? A bad night sleep? Am I just getting older? And then I look into my tip cup and realize that after working 5 or more hours scooping ice cream and Italian ice, making milkshakes and being as friendly as possible, the few dollars I made in tips is the reason I'm so blue.

It's draining having to constantly smile and be friendly for every single customer you see but that's part of the job. If you can't do that then you're pretty much screwed. On some days it's really hard. You can have back to back customers who yell at you for things like not having their favorite flavor or because it's too hot out or just because they feel like yelling. You're not only scooping ice cream and sending people on their way, no. You have to talk to the customers and get to know them. It's important making the customer feel valued and happy so they will come back and spread the word that your business is the place to go to.

However, after valuing each customer hour after hour, it's draining to see that your hard work and friendliness hasn't paid off. Now maybe I sound like I'm only in this job for the money and I don't really care about my customers, but that's not true at all. I have many customers who come into our shop who are regulars and I enjoy seeing every week and have conversations with.

What people don't understand is that these tips are important to us. Most of the girls who I work with, use their tips to pay for school, food, gas, and important other things. This money goes directly to us, the workers. It doesn't go to anyone else. We aren't asking for a $5 tip on a $2 ice cream cone. But all we ask is that if you are with a family or have multiple orders or enjoyed your service you at least throw your change in our tip cup. I promise it's better to get spare change than nothing at all.

Spare change adds up. If every customer threw a few cents in our cup or their change from their order it would add up relatively quickly. I've been at my job for three years and I used to find that I got tipped often and people usually would put a dollar or two in my cup. I was always in awe and then it got to a point where I just sort of expected people to throw something in there.

But lately, I've had lines out the door, with huge families and not a single person has tipped. We are working our hardest and fastest for you to get your order as quickly as possible while still being friendly and making sure you don't feel rushed. It's not an easy job dealing with the general public and everyone knows that. I wait patiently for you to figure out what you want, offer you samples of flavors you want to try, and make sure your order is packed and you have napkins and spoons.

I find it insulting that after helping a customer and making sure they are satisfied and have everything they need, they can just walk out the door without even thanking us or leaving a few cents in our cup. You have to remember, this is our job. We scoop ice cream during the summer when we could be going to the beach or sitting out by the pool. On those days where it's really hot, or rainy we still come to work waiting for people to come in. Some days we have to miss family barbecues or work on holidays like Memorial Day or Fourth of July so you can stop in and bring dessert to your family barbecue.

I've had sample cups spit back at me, people try to return ice cream they no longer wanted, and have had people request the most ridiculous things. For everyone who spends summers frequenting ice cream shops, all I ask is that you take the time to thank workers and make sure to let them know you appreciate them. By no means are we saving lives or putting out fires, but it's nice to feel appreciated every once and a while, and I think that's something everyone can agree on.