Coffee shop owner puts up genius bar sign to teach rude customers good manners

Austin Simms, who runs a coffee shop, fascinated everyone by placing a funny sign outside the shop, which also served to teach customers some manners.

Though Simms understands those customers' struggles, he also thinks that they should be polite. That's why he came up with a reward system for those who remembered to be nice - and people seem to love his idea.

Simms owns the coffee shop called CUPS Coffee & Teas. One day, he decided to put up a sign outside the shop that advertises a few different coffee deals, according to Refinery29.

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The sign stated that the price of coffee decreased with the increased politeness in customers’ words.

If the customers enter the shop and just order one small coffee, they will have to pay $5. If they ask for, "One small coffee, please," the price drops to $3.

However, if they say, "Hello, I'd like one small coffee please," they'll only have to pay $1.75. At CUPS Coffee & Teas, being nice literally pays off.

In an interview with WDBJ, a Roanoke's local CBS news station, Simms said that because of the power of the internet, the sign he wrote was featured in a newspaper in England.

An image of the sign was also published on Reddit, which garnered a lot of up-votes.

He had never imagined the kind of fame he has received because of his board. It took just one day for the sign to go viral online and for him to make major headlines.

Simms pointed out that he just wants "to be funny, not to be famous."

"I decided because I need to solve all the injustices of the world to start charging more for people who didn't take the time to say hello and connect and realize we're all people behind the counter."

According to him, the most important thing is that his strategy for making people more polite is working.