TIPPING: A friend who drives for Uber comments on Facebook that most people don’t tip: “I don’t understand it but there are ethnic and age components. I pick up many immigrants from countries that have no tipping culture which comprised most of my riders today. Millennials don’t tip, ever. Women don’t tip often. African Americans tip rarely. Chinese never, and Indians rarely. I sometimes receive better tips from Mexican restaurant workers and blue collar white guys than wealthy businessmen.”

I try to tip well, but the extreme reaction to, say, a $20 tip suggests to me that not many people do. People who work in jobs where there’s tipping depend on it, and if they treat me well, I want to treat them well. As a colleague says, being able to tip generously is one of the pleasures of having a little bit of money. And I know enough people who depend on tips to know what a difference it can make, both financially and in terms of how your day seems.

Also, experienced waiters, waitresses, cab drivers, and bartenders can size you up. If you look like a good tipper, you’ll get better service from the get-go in my experience.