Mark Your Gift Cards and Coupons

When using coupons or gift cards in restaurants, I've discovered that it is very easy for the server to become confused, as to the ownership of these items. Make it a point to mark them with something that catches the eye, like the first initial of your last name circled in red, info marked in indelible ink, or a piece of masking tape indicating the dollar value left and your first name.

I've had a waiter tell me that my gift card had only $2 left, when I knew it was much more (my initials were on the card and the waiter managed to find it after much disgruntled effort), and one tell me that my coupon wasn't the big one, but a smaller dollar amount off, or that I never gave them the coupon in the first place.

By marking them, your misplaced property is more easily identified and the waiter is less accusatory. Since I've been marking them, there is less of a problem.

I once had a waitress make a scene, and that image has stayed with me a long time. She managed to 'find' my coupon (which she'd given to another party that had left. There it was, my coupon stapled to their bill), but we didn't need to go through this type of public disturbance.

Yes, she was probably overworked, underpaid and stressed out. She had my sympathies. But marking these items makes the meal out run much smoother.

By Holly from Dallas, TX