Incentivizing Politeness at Tea Houses

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Aydınlık Newspaper, 18 November 2016)


Tea maven Odabaş and politeness price list on window.

In Trabzon, Turan Odabaş has been serving tea for 10 years but
he was not pleased about the way his customers requested their tea.
So Odabaş started to implement a "price list based on politeness"
in a number of provinces.  For a while now managers of tea houses
in various provinces have been charging customers to reflect their
politeness - or lack thereof - in ordering tea.

The most expensive price, 2 TL (about 65 cents), is reserved for
those who say "hey, gimme a tea!".  For those who ask more politely,
as in  "would you please bring me a tea.", the charge is 75 kuruş
(about 25 cents).  Tea house managers in Balıkesir, Tokat, Erzurum
and other provinces who have implemented the politeness price list
are pleased with the results.


One of Odabaş's better behaved customers (on the left).

In his tea house in Trabzon's Maçka district, Odabaş price list
runs as follows:

"gimme a tea!" = 2 TL
"send a tea."     = 1.5 TL
"tea."                = 1 TL
"would you please bring me a tea?" = .75 TL

According to Odabaş, first-time customers who see the politeness
price list on the window carefully review the options before ordering.
He said that the list has ushered in a more polite and friendly
atmosphere.  Odabaş added that "I like it when they ask for tea
politely. But there's a reproach on the list, too: 'Warm words don't
come from a cold heart, beauty is not born from harsh words.'
After reading the sign, first-timers invariably say 'would you please
bring me a tea.'"


                 Trabzon province