How can the three prices of a cup of coffee stand?

I went to France for work. An old friend in France invited me to a coffee shop to catch up. It was a very ordinary coffee shop called Sheila's Little Shop. Although the decoration was simple, customers poured in and it looked very popular. Even before I ordered coffee, I was shocked by the enthusiasm of the French. Next to a fat man just took a seat and hugged a lady at the next table, who was also very happy to meet up. The man ordered a cup of coffee and I saw the waiter come and charge him 1.40 euros.

A cup of coffee is so cheap. No wonder the shop is doing so well. When my friend came in, I went straight to the reception desk to order coffee and said,"I'd like a cup of coffee," in French that wasn't fluent. The waiter looked at me in surprise and asked,"Would you please repeat what you just said?" Thinking he didn't understand the broken French, I timidly repeated,"I'd like a cup of coffee." This time, without saying anything, the waiter quickly handed me a cup of coffee and said,"Seven euros, madam." I couldn't believe my ears. I asked again. After confirming that it was still 7 euros, although I was upset about the coffee price of the fat man just now, I was embarrassed to ask, so I had no choice but to pay 7 euros. Back in my seat, I complained to my friend,"Why did you charge me 7 euros for the same cup of coffee that was 1.4 euros?" This is unfair!" My friend smiled cunningly and said I would know if I continued to watch.

After a while, another lady came and said to the waiter,"Would you please prepare a cup of coffee for me?" The waiter immediately handed her a cup of coffee and charged her 4.25 euros. I especially noticed that she ordered the same coffee as me. Could it be that this shop charges for watching people? One after another, I found that the same cup of coffee had three different prices: 1.40 euros, 4.25 euros and 7 euros!

When I was angry about 7 euros, my friend laughed and told the truth: "Did you notice what they said to the waiter?" If you just say to them,'Have a cup of coffee!' The price is 7 euros; you say,'Please give me a cup of coffee.' The price is € 4.25; but if you say,'Hello, can I have a cup of coffee, please?' Even giving a hug to a stranger costs 1.40 euros."

I immediately realized how creative this coffee shop was. Thinking back to the language of ordering coffee just now, I couldn't help but feel ashamed. My friend said,"When the telegraph first came into being, the French wasted a lot of money on the word 'please'. Even so, the French did not give up sending telegrams without saying 'please'." It's a good idea to use coffee prices as a reminder of manners. A cup of "courtesy coffee" not only brings a warm and comfortable atmosphere to everyone, but also skillfully makes everyone experience the fun of "courtesy". (Sun Mengye)