See Also: Should Guests Tip for To-Go Orders? See Also: Survey Claims One Third of You Do Not Tip For "Below Average" Service
Most people who grapple with their mortality want to leave some sort of legacy. Some want statues, others want endowments for the arts and still others want their name on a building.
When Aaron Collins, a computer technician in Kentucky, passed away a little over a week ago he wanted something simpler and something more personal. He wanted his family to settle his debts with the money in his bank account and then take whatever was left over and leave someone "an awesome tip." His will specified $500 as a sufficient tip for this endeavor.
Unfortunately, once his bills were settled, there wasn't $500 left over to fulfill his final wish. So his family turned to the internet for help and the internet obeyed for a worthy cause. The resulting video has clocked nearly 2 million hits since it went up five days ago.
The waitress is clearly flummoxed by the whole experience but what's really amazing is that the donations continued to pour in. Just two days after the the first video went up, Aaron's family reported via his memorial blog, that they had received over $10,000 in donations in a single day. As of July 14, the family has received over $28,000 and have vowed to continue going out to eat on their own dime and then dropping $500 tips on their unsuspecting waitstaff.
The lucky waitress is from a local Lexington pizza joint called Puccini's. No word as yet to where the family will strike next. Given the national coverage they've gotten it seems likely that they'll have to take measures to keep this going as a random act of kindness.
