In my experience, service in the US is amazing and tipping is practically mandatory, while in the UK, tipping is mostly optional and service is very variable. That's correlation, but I have no idea if any causation is at play and, if it is, in which direction.

> "I cannot even wrap my head around the idea of making $30,000 or $40,000 a year. I could do so much with just that much money."

If I were from the South, I might use the phrase “Oh you sweet summer child!”.

Which is funny because if they wanted to make $40,000 a year all they would need to work at is an Amazon fulfillment center or an Amazon warehouse and they will make that wage. So are they choosing to work in a low pay low skill job?

It's their job to explain it to you. Most baristas are pretty good at that job. They often love coffee and love talking about coffee.

Everybody behind a tip screen is doing a customer service job. It's not just taking money and giving coffee. It's a hospitality industry. Not everybody is good at it, but a properly-run shop is good at hospitality because they know it's how they make their living.

So really, just ask. I can't promise you that the person behind the counter isn't a jerk, but I suspect you'll be surprised and pleased.

That's not an MRE. Recycle it.