(I'm assuming prostitutes don't get dental coverage there, though i doubt they pay income taxes for that matter too....)

You know there's something about angry people that makes me smile. So really I'm almost always smiling.

If I got a hooker, I'd kind of want her to be sobbing the whole time. It would certainly make things more interesting. Is she sobbing because I'm a complete low life or because she's being haunted by broken dreams? The mystery of the situation would be so hot.

__________________
“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” -Dr. Carl Sagan

Poetic....(though with a twisted sense of irony).

I wonder when Virginians will smile when they serve coffee?

/cues up The Lap Dance is So Much Better When the Stripper is Crying by the Bloodhound Gang.

__________________
When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears

Damn, I had NO idea this one would get so interesting :-)

Wild :-)

LOL, I remember that song. My subconscious tricks me into thinking I'm original once again...

__________________
“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” -Dr. Carl Sagan

I hate to break up the general weirdness by actually commenting on the OP, but most people in the West like it when service staff smile at them and flirt a bit. I find my tips go up when I'm nice to customers, no matter how fake I am. In Russia, it's different. There seems to be a culture (passed on from Communism?) where a person who smiles publicly is either really, really stupid or is out to get you.

See, there is no issues with your threads, just folks who have a vivid imagination about Noa.

We always smile about everything because everything in Virginia is perfect in every single way possible. All the time. Ever.

__________________
“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” -Dr. Carl Sagan

Agreed.

As for the general weirdness of the thread, I thought the answer to the original idea was pretty obvious...people working at Starbucks smile because it's a required part of the job and there's a tip jar.

I should know, I worked at Starbucks long ago.

__________________
“Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.” -Dr. Carl Sagan

Oh, you're still OG as far as I'm concerned...

__________________
When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears

I've got no experience in Russia, but my Russian friend has said similar things.

As far as tips going up - if you're a waitress, I read in a psych class years ago a study that showed that if the waitress touched the man who was paying (not explicit, just a touch on the shoulder), the tip would go up significantly (10% comes to mind). No other combination works, though.

__________________
When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears

Heh, that's a strange way to spell Texas.

I always thought ya'll had similar problems with teeth (not enough to create a smile).

That's definitely true. I always try to act like the customer is the most interesting person in the room, at least for a few seconds. The same banter seems to come up, but I always laugh. If someone has a routine, have their order ready for them when they come in. One of my colleagues called me a prositute recently, but I've always had the highest tips. God...I am a hooker, amn't I?