Featherman: McCoy cheap tip receipt on Ebay

Tacky, crummy and low class.

Those are actually the nicest words I could come up with.

The "choice" words I really wanted to use are not suitable for Philly.com readers.

I am infuriated that PYT owner Tommy Up is supporting the posting of LeSean McCoy's now infamous 20 cent credit card receipt for sale on eBay.

The live auction's listing can be seen here.

Up, whom I've known since his club promotion days in the 1990s, is one of the hardest working Philadelphians I know. And regardless of where you stand on the tipping incident, I hold a tremendous amount of respect for the loyalty that Up has shown to his employees and to the entire service industry in town over the years.

That's why I'm not calling for a boycott of PYT as I originally intended to do before I communicated with Up on Facebook Messenger this morning.

But the eBay posting, in my opinion, stinks of tackiness and takes away from any sympathy votes we should be giving him. It just doesn't make sense for someone in the service business to be taking a private transaction and posting it not only all over social media but now on eBay.

"Some people in Philly, a few of them, are still upset," Up told me, adding, "But I have over 8,000 enthusiastic emails from people around the world that are standing behind us. And even McCoy is with us now. He tipped my friend $100 at Del Friscos yesterday and sent me a pic."

When I asked Up specifically about who the eBay seller was, he told me "His name is Jake. He DJs at PYT."

Up told me he would ask "Jake" if he was willing to discuss the matter. If "Jake" decides to speak to U-Turn, I will publish his comments.

A voice mail left with the Philadelphia Eagles office today asking for comment was not returned as of press time.

However, Kyle Scott, a blogger at CrossingBroad.com, called me this morning to discuss an article he published last night about the eBay listing in which he claimed that "selling a credit card receipt containing a (millionaire's!) name and four digits* feels dangerously close to being illegal."

As proof, Scott offered this link from the Federal Trade Commission.

And while the receipt does appear to have the last 4 digits of the credit card number mostly etched out, it doesn't rule out that someone could figure out the digits – if the receipt is original and authentic. McCoy's signature also appears on the receipt. It's not clear whether his signature is the same as the autograph that he uses for promotional purposes.

We can – and should – have a debate on tipping, even when receiving bad service. This is a good time to have that conversation.

But if you're in the service business, the practice of publicly shaming your clients – rich, poor or in between – is a vile practice that has to stop. Right. Now.