Am I alone in taking pointed notice of all the tip jars that have blossomed on business countertops? From delis to pizzerias, Chinese takeout joints to barbershops, the word has spread like wildfire: If you put out a tip jar, people will fill it. Well, maybe they will, but I have yet to be shamed (if this is the right word) into casting my coin into the tip jar fountain. Perhaps it is the scientist in me, but I try to reason the situation out like this: I call in my order to the Chinese restaurant. I drive there to pick it up. I pay the menu price. Why on earth would I pay more than they are asking for their product? Doing so strikes me as positively un-American. News source: Money-Central Tipping used to be confined to service-oriented occupations: waitresses, taxi drivers, doormen. Now it has spread to businesses where I seem to be doing most of the work. Attempts at justification Just recently I was in a general store where I roamed the aisles, collected my goods, brought them to the counter and even packed them myself. I paid the cashier $23.97 and then noticed a rather ostentatious pickle jar by the register. It was brimming with coins and paper money. On its face was written, in large red letters so as not to escape notice, “TIPS!” The addition of that exclamation point seemed to push the thing beyond a suggestion toward the realm of subtle demand. Sometimes the tip jar bears an explanation or justification of the recipient’s need for the extra cash, such as the annotation, “For college.” And then there was this cryptic one I saw in a service station: “For unanticipated expenses.” Hmm. Don’t we all have these? All this reminds me of a little incident with an Internet retailer. On the order form after I had added up the total for goods and shipping, was an additional charge of $1, for “immediate replacement of lost or damaged goods.” More from MSNTalk back: Do tip jars annoy you?MSN City Guides: Diners have a bone to pick How to say NO! to anything — or anyoneJust say no to the ‘upsell’10 things your restaurant won’t tell youIs free stuff on the Net really free?There was no way for me to decline or eliminate this fee, so I called them. The pleasant woman at the other end of the line explained that the fee was a bargain because it would ensure my satisfaction with my purchase. “Ma’am,” I calmly began, “if I am not satisfied with this purchase, I expect you to remedy the situation in any event.”She removed the $1 fee.Nobody will notice The moral of this tale is that these companies seem to assume that nobody — except for me! — will notice or care if an additional buck or two is appended to an order. Considering the large customer bases involved, this can add up to a lot of money. I think this is precisely what has spilled over into the ad hoc tipping jar phenomenon we’re now experiencing. If the college student who works at the local taco stand puts out his or her jar and makes an extra $10, $20 or $30 a day, well, why not? It’s not as if people have to cough up a tip. At this point I’m willing to admit that maybe I’m being a curmudgeon about this — or even worse, a cheapskate. But although I don’t contribute to these ubiquitous, beckoning Mason jars, I think there is an insidious effect on the young. Video on MSN Money Successful complainingYelling may feel good, but when it comes to getting resolution to your consumer complaint, there are better ways to succeed.On a visit to a bakery with my son, I had just paid for my bagels when Anton nudged me and pointed to the tip jar. “Dad,” he said, “aren’t you going to tip them?” I looked at the milk-faced student behind the cash register, who beamed at me. “Thank you,” I told him, “and have a nice day.”This didn’t end the conversation. In the car on the way home, Anton asked me how I would feel if I had a tip jar and nobody put any money in. A little classroom experiment No one had ever asked me this before. As a teacher it had never occurred to me to put one of these jars on my desk. And so I decided to conduct an experiment. The next day, when I entered the classroom, I casually pulled a small jelly jar from my bag and placed it on my desk. On the front was a neat label, “Tips.” I didn’t do anything else to draw my students’ attention to it and ignored the low mumble that the act incited. At the end of the lecture, as the students filed out, I’ll be darned if a few of them didn’t throw their loose change into the jar. I gave it all back, of course, but their quiet gestures did lend me a small thrill, a sense that my teaching efforts were worth more than my salary alone. Well, I still don’t put money in tip jars, but I have put one of these jars in my son’s room. Sometimes, when he does something positive or helpful without being told, I throw a couple of quarters in. He appreciates this and looks for opportunities to lend a hand wherever he can. I think that as long as we can keep this under control, I will not have created unreasonable expectations. But mum’s the word.

It’s a familiar scenario. You’re on your way to work, maybe running 10 minutes late, and you’re trying to make up for lost time. So you put your foot into it a little bit more and also decide to multi-task, perhaps get a head start on email on your BlackBerry. Before you know it, you’ve got one hand frantically tapping away on the small keypad, the other on the wheel, and your eyes are working overtime to keep track of it all. Your foot, however, is doing just fine laying heavily on the accelerator. Doesn’t sound too safe, does it?Almost all of us make them, so here’s a list of some of the most common and dangerous mistakes witnessed on the road:Pushing ButtonsCar companies and their suppliers jump through lawyers’ hoops when developing central information consoles that can include satellite navigation, stereo controls and climate gauges. And with good reason. Tweaking these devices while driving is a leading cause of accidents and near misses, according to Drive for Life, the National Safe Driving Test and Initiative. Most new consoles won’t allow you to plug directions into a sat-nav while the car is in gear, but almost all allow you to play with the stereo. Try to do this when stationary, at traffic lights if you must.Aggressive DrivingAggressive driving is a factor in about 56 percent of fatal crashes, says the latest study on driving habits from the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership. Though subject to debate, the study has classified aggressive driving as “speeding, tailgating, failing to yield, weaving in and out of traffic, passing on the right, making improper and unsafe lane changes and running stop signs and red lights.” The group says that most drivers admit to making the same mistakes they hate to see other drivers commit. Mobile DevicesAs a group, teenagers are more likely than most to take their eyes off the road to concentrate on mobile devices, including cell phones, iPods and instant messaging gadgets. They are also the age group most likely to impress their friends both with the latest in gadgetry and by taking risks behind the wheel. The National Safety Council points out that traffic crashes are the leading cause of fatalities in teens, accounting for 44 percent of deaths.Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C. have banned the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. California is scheduled to ban their use by July 2008. Another side effect of the ever-changing technology? Shorter attention spans, which isn’t the ideal trait of conscientious drivers.Driving While Upset”Well the morning was complete. There was tears on the steering wheel dripping on the seat,” lamented cheeky British pop mites The Arctic Monkeys on their new tune ‘Do Me a Favor’. All very well if you, like I did, took an Audi A4 S-line Convertible to see them at this year’s Coachella Festival, but what happens if you’ve had a great, sober festival, but end up in a fight with the wife while driving home (which didn’t happen, obviously, as she adored the sporty drop-top)? Other situations that inevitably distract from good driving habits are fighting over maps and directions or looking for a free parking space. Try to pull over if you feel your concentration is not fully on the road and take a walk to cool off. As a married man who’s terrible at reading maps and spotting parking spaces, all I can say is, “But I told you so.”Turn SignalsHere’s a harsh lesson learned. When my brother and I rolled up at my sister’s wedding in her hubby’s Jaguar XKR convertible, we expected a bit of respect and not, well, giggles. My brother was driving and we traveled about 20 miles in convoy alongside many of the other guests. We had enjoyed the admiring looks and stares from others on the way, figuring it was the fire-red convertible and the two good-looking lads up front.Only during the groom’s speech later did we find out that we’d driven his car the whole way with the left turn signal bleeping, to much mirth all round and conversation about stupid drivers and their habits. Turn signal errors in my experience are more common in trucks, SUVs and convertibles, when wind and cabin noise can crowd out the click of the signal, leaving the driver oblivious to their error. News source: AOL Autos