Lottery store owners like Young Soolee in Atlanta provide an essential service for players with their stores

  Photo: Mercury News

The shopkeeper at my local lotto store gave me a smile. “How are you today?” she asked.

“I have something for you,” I said, slipping her an envelope, and watching as she opened it.

“Oh my goodness!” she said, “Is this for real?” She flipped through the notes that I knew added up to $1,000 in total.

Some stores become the center of attention when a big draw is sold. Owner Parmeet Singh speaks to reporters at the store in Milpitas, California about a $425 million Powerball win there

  Photo: AP/Martha Mendoza

I explained to her that when I won some serious prizes I would share some of my winnings with her. And I always follow through.

Now I’m one of their favorite clients.

Some people don’t think a tip is necessary. They argue that the shop may get publicity from the winning tickets anyway, and in some countries some lottery franchisees get a small percentage of the prize.

But I recommend you tip the store for these reasons:

• It makes you unforgettable. Just think of the number of winners who don’t tip (and from my talks with many shops – they don’t). It’s always a good thing to have some karmic credit going.

• You will be popular with them for years ahead. You may get special treatment and little discounts here and there that add up to a very happy way to shop.

• It is no loss to you if you only give in proportion to your prize. My own guide is for every prize of $50,000 I would give $1,000. Under that it would be 1%, starting at $1,000.

What a great way to start thinking about distributing your riches! What do you think?