I sympathize with the barista here, but mindset that customers need to cover 10 to 20% of his income is symptom of decades of brainwashing of employees and customers alike. In this case NPR is part of this brainwashing. I will not tip someone for doing their job. I will only tip when I feel it is needed based on the service provided.
No, I know it’s not mutually inclusive. I just think that profit is going somewhere. It’s not just hanging out in the ether. Maybe it’s not execs, sure. Maybe it’s someone else. But someone is absolutely taking the money that every day employees should be getting.