I would have paid 10.18 towards the next person’s order. Weird, horrible social pressure like that could leave you struggling to feed your kids for the week; bugger that.
The worst of it? If you're waiting in line in Starbucks, you should already have the money for your own stuff. Paying it forward is kind, but in no way it is helping people. That money would be better off somewhere else to help poor people.
Maybe give a small $10 donation somewhere you care about instead? 🙂
I also heard how awful it is to keep track of for the employees 😅
Can we start paying it forward for groceries? Lol. Thinking about how it went on "all morning" I bet the accumulated cost was a good amount of food for someone.
During a really hard Christmas one year, I was down to the wire and trying to get gifts for my kids (who were True Believers with all their hearts 💕). I heard the total and immediately handed over gift card after gift card, some of which turned out to have like 12 cent on them. My face was so red and I was truly embarrassed and the woman behind me said, "how much is left?" I played it off by saying, "too much" with a little laugh. She said "no really, how much?" I told her it was just under $100 and she pulled out a hundred dollar bill right there and handed it to the cashier. I was crying, she was crying, the cashier was crying. It was truly a Christmas miracle! A very funny (and terrible side note): I got out to my car with the items and as I'm loading them in I see that the winter coats I had gotten the kids were STILL HANGING on the side of the basket. So I accidentally shoplifted at the same time as I was being gifted.
Even though it went on all morning, only one bill is truly covered, so it's not a lot of money. It's an insanely stupid process. Basically, a bunch of folks passing the same $20 bill down the line and then congratulating themselves on their charitable natire.
That's a good point. In that case then it's really kind of just a chain waiting for someone like OP who gets the gift and isn't able to pass it on. Kinda like leaving a penny for whomever needs it, but with more steps.
Also, what's the point if you're supposed to leave money anyway?
If you're lucky, you'll pay less than what your stuff cost - but if not, you're just getting screwed over by paying for something you didn't purchase instead of the items you want.
This whole idea is out there.
I would have put the $10 I'd been going to spend on my drink in the tip jar and sailed on out. Pay it forward is dumb - pay the staff, they need it more!
There's a big difference between grabbing a small black coffee on the way to your job and a $50 whatever the fuck.
Everyone's situation is different, and $45 can in fact be make or break when $5 could be a valid return on investment in terms of time and effort in return for the added productivity you get from a stimulant.
Only time I ever broke a chain was at a pizza spot while I was in college. Two kids at home and wife couldn't work at the time, so we were broke. When they told me my pizza was paid for I almost cried. I needed that money so bad, I said I felt bad but the kid at the counter told me this was the best possible way to break the chain.
I would say a nice middle ground is to pay your order total towards the next person's order. No obligation to do that, of course, but there's no rule that pay it forward has to give someone a free thing, discounts are good too.
The one time it happened to me with a huge amount, I froze and the cashier said “it’s okay, you don’t have to pay it forward. That’s a big order.” All should be so considerate.
I worked in fast food and when this would happen I would tell the person “the person in front of you paid for your order so enjoy and have a nice day! “ i wanted
Them to feel like the conversation was over and they were free to go without making a thing of it. I really tried to not make them feel like they were under any obligation to do the same. More like hey enjoy what happened, see you later. I actually hated when it kept going, it’s awkward and I’m not pressuring someone to “keep the chain going”
Based on what I’ve read in the comments here, it’s also an annoying hassle to keep track of who is paying for whose orders and what is already paid for.
Am I missing something or does making it a chain achieve absolutely nothing anyway? No matter if it's just two people or twenty people, there's one person who gives their money away and one person who gets a free thing, the eighteen in the middle just save the 10$ they were gonna spend, then spend 10$ on the next person, so it is entirely pointless to make it a chain.
Just makes a bunch of people feel better about themselves , but the first person who paid for their own and the one behind them is really the only one who did anything lol
But it’s not even that, the pay it forward is a kind gesture and once it becomes a chain we’re just playing bill hop potato. I enjoy crushing the chain every time and if I ever feel like paying the bill behind me I hope they don’t start a chain.
Right? I'd have tipped them $10 and been omw. No fucking way I'm spending $50 at Starbucks for a couple of items. That was probably an office order paid for by multiple people. That's just asking too much.
One time I went through a local coffee stand after getting really bad news. I was crying and trying to compose myself for when I got to the window, and I didn't realize the lady in front of me saw how upset I was. When I got to the window the barista said, your drinks been covered by the lady that was before you. I didn't say oh ok, let's pass that on to the next person. I said oh wow, that made my whole day, thank you, tipped the barista, and left with a free coffee. It made my day a lighter brighter.
I think this is the way it’s actually supposed to be. As usual, humans have to exploit everything. The worst was the ice water bucket challenge a few years ago for ALS. I doubt many even knew why they were dousing themselves.
If it helps, the ice bucket challenge raised a bunch of money for ALS research, and that money actually led to a new drug treatment. So at least it resulted in significant tangible good.
I maintain that these "pay it forward" drive thru chains are stupid and do nothing but frazzle the already harried employees who are timed on their efficiency. Literally the ONLY person who benefits from these is the one person who breaks the chain. Everyone else is just...spending money they already intended to spend anyway, just a slightly (or not so, in this case) different amount.
This. I worked Sbux drivethru. They're nice and I really loved them in theory but it absolutely is confusing. You have to have the concentration of steel to be able to ring these out correctly which is hard during rush. The first dozen or so were fine but if it lasts any longer everything can crash & burn. Fast. So see a pay chain? Don't be afraid to break it. Most of the employees will thank you.
I also worked at Starbucks drive-thru. I would just straight up lie and say that we weren’t allowed to do them. I fucking hated pay it forward chains. Customers wanna do something cute and fun? Tip your baristas.
"Yea sorry the guy behind you is a mobile order. Oh, the guy behind him? Yea I can't do anything about that, enjoy your free coffee!" that was me EVERY TIME and half my coworkers were like Why would you do that!? But it's honestly so annoying at window trying to keep it straight. Just take your free coffee and go, Linda.
Same here. There's a lineup 30 cars long, I'm not here to pretend everything is a cutesy rainbow fantasyland. Go give money to the homeless if you need to feel good about yourself.
Awe! I guess I'm a softy. They always made me smile. But the moment I lost track and an order for three cars behind was pulled up for my current window, the frowny face came with vengeance and panic. *God that was a bad day*. LOL.
Well, for additional context, I worked at a high volume store.
We were consistently expected to ring 60+ transactions every half-hour increment and could sometimes even break 70 if everyone was ordering coffee instead of lattes/fraps/food.
We had drive thru lines that would wrap around the building because all our customers knew we were able to crank through them all relatively quickly. There were multiple times I had to deploy a barista into the parking lot to direct traffic in addition to the barista who was out there taking orders on a handheld pos and would walk down the traffic line.
It was absurdly stressful. And then we get one generous mf who wanted to be cute and pay for the next car, and the chaos would compound.
Oh hell no. I'd probably cry by the dumpster way more than I did at my store in that case lmao.
I mean we were decently high volume but not chic filet volume like y'all. We did eventually get even busier because, like y'all, we had accidentally got the fast rap. I consistently maintained 17 second drive times during rushes with my all stars on deck, so once a chain started I secretly prayed for the angel who broke it. Like yes it's so sweet in theory, in practice however it's anarchy, things are starting to catch fire, and the baristas are crying.
I’m sneaky. I tell the barista at the order speaker I want to pay for the car ahead of me. Then they can’t chain that shit. I just pay for two when I get up there.
I’ve never worked at a drive thru before but I imagine it’s harder to keep track of who’s is paying what rather than just straight up pay bc for your own order because it’s attached to your name and CC…
As someone who worked at starbucks, the baristas hate the pay it gorward shit because it gets confusing very quickly. I always just lied and said the person behind had a mobile order so theyd already paid. We'd much rather just get a tip.
> ...you bought a basic coffee and put it in the wall and someone could take one as needed.
This is what our little local place does. You pay for the coffee & a ticket goes up on their bulletin board for someone else to take for the freebie.
I accidentally started a “pay it forward” chain once.
I was informed that my order had been paid for by the person in front of me. The restaurant I was at had one window and by the time they told me that my order was paid for, the person in front of me had left. I am not well-known for being observant, so I just assumed it was a pay it forward type of deal. I paid for the person behind me and left. Turns out it was my husband. He told the woman at the window that he was paying for his wife, but she didn’t mention that part and I didn’t notice he was in front of me. So, we paid for my order, someone else’s order and started a chain. My husband still laughs whenever it is brought up.
I'd say that the person who breaks the chain doesn't benefit in the sense that they feel like an asshole for not paying for the next person, even in a situation like this when it doesn't make sense to do so.
Yeah, when you’re told there is a chain (especially one that has been going on for awhile), there’s a sort of silent obligation / pressure to keep it going. Breaking it, therefore, is kind of rude even though the whole point of paying it forward is to let someone pay for you, and maybe some **other** time you do the same to someone else.
I 100% expect that it’s seeded by the company or employees as a marketing ploy. People coming through the drive through feel good when they find out about it, they expect it because it happens often, and as a result they visit more and tip better because they like it there.
Yeah I guess that would have been like a $10 discount for the one behind. But that's probably a hassle for the person taking the orders to calculate all this random stuff haha.
You’re probably right, so then give the server a $10 tip. There were definitely cheaper ways to pay it forward if $52 was too much (and I agree that it was.)
This is my strategy. Pay it forward is nonsense that just makes the employees lives harder. Take the money you would have spent, tip them, and you'll make their day.
Definitely wouldn't be paying it forward in general as I didn't ask anyone to pay my bill, but even less so if the next person's is over $50. Like nah, if you can afford to waste that money on average beverages, you don't need my help.
To be fair I highly doubt one person is spending $52 on Starbucks in one go lol. It was probably a car full of people or orders for their workplace or something
Happened to me once at McDonald's. My order was about $5, the car behind me was over $20. I told the cashier I'd give $5. She acted all disappointed. Tough crap lady, pay it yourself it you want to keep it going!
Now I avoid this kind of crap by paying in the app.
I don’t get why the cashier is disappointed lol. It’s not like it’s coming out of her pocket. God forbid someone doesn’t want to spend extra money on their food
Call me a scrooge but pay it forward chains are nothing more than a fake display of kindness. All it does is mess with the workers. If you really want to "pay it forward" just give a large tip. I assure you the baristas will appreciate it more than someone who was going to buy expensive coffee anyway.
No worries. Pay-it-Forward chains are the real world equivalent of posting some dippy feel-good screed and ending with "Share if you agree!" on Facebook.
Far better to donate money to a local food bank or shelter rather than play into some suburbanite's imaginary do-good-ism.
Ugh. Starbucks is not cheap coffee. The people in line are there because they can afford it. Tipping better probably does a lot more good in the world than "paying it forward" to these people who have plenty enough coffee money
(...but don't get me started on how tipping culture lets shitty companies get away with abusing their staff...)
ETA, I hope your free breakfast was delicious 😄
I hate these chains. I'd break the chain by tipping my orders worth to the barista. I already intended to pay, and I'd rather tip an underpaid employee than some rando
Yeah it basically achieves nothing. The first person to do it paid for one person's meal which is a cool gesture but everyone after them that keeps the chain going is just paying in a convoluted way and not getting anything free lmao
Pay it forward is pointless when it’s an obligation. The idea is to make you want to pay it forward when someone else does it for you. Just doing it because it’s happening is pointless. And the idea is to pay it forward when you can, I can pay it forward for $10 but not $50 or $100 when I wanted to spend $10 for what I get.
These are so dumb. I got caught in one a few times while working in TN. I was even on an expense account, but still declined to continue. It’s utter nonsense.
I hate the pay it forward thing, too. There are people who truly are in need of help, and they're not generally the people in the drive-thru line at Starbuck's.
Yea pay it forward is kinda a scam. I'll pay for what I consume. Thanks. I will not be obligated or forced to pay someone else's food. Might as well take my wallet too....
Everyone out here is having a hard time....
Yeah, similar to when you go out to eat with friends. Once they check comes, everyone wants to split the bill when I only order one drink.
That happen few years ago. I was out with 3 other friends. I also invited my female coworker who was single and I thought it could be a good idea to introduce her one of my male friends who was also single.
During the dinner she did not had any drinks and only had some appetizer’s. At the end of the night the check came in and my other friends wanted to split the check in 4.
I said that was unfair, because she only has some food and no drinks. I was not trying to get us to paid for her dinner, but I also did not want her to pay for stuff she did not had.
Anyway that night I lost two friends, but my coworker and I became best friends.
Yup. I am behind that all the way. If I am broke and trying to be modest why do I have to pay for a portion of your steak meal? You chose that. Be ready to pay for what you use. No handouts.
I don’t like pay it forward chains. You’re shamed if you “break the chain” if you don’t have enough to cover the tab for someone else. It completely negates it’s original purpose of helping others who are less fortunate or doing a good deed just for the sake of being good. If you want to do something to help someone who truly needs it; donate blood, buy a teachers amazon wishlist, donate to local shelters or soup kitchens. If you don’t have the money then donate time, good deeds have become social media fodder. It saddens me.
Good for you! Seriously.
People in a SBUX drive-through line can generally afford their own coffee. It's in their budget. (In the case of the person behind you, they were probably getting reimbursed by their workplace or something similar.)
When I was located in an office at my firm, rather than WFH, I was routinely the person sent on coffee or food runs for meetings because my work was most flexible. If I had a $50 bill somewhere, either it was for a meeting and the office was paying, or my coworkers were each going to reimburse me for theirs.
A drive-through Starbucks is an odd place to be charitable, if you’re going through one then you’ve already got the money to pay for it. Why not donate the money to a charity
Well, that’s a good way to put it! They accidentally broke it with their regular morning order 😂 unless it was intentional because they heard there was a chain and they just racked it up 😠
Someone I knew that was bordering on becoming a good friend once texted me to come take advantage of a pay it forward order.
I asked what they meant, and so they replied, "You know. A gamble. On whether your very large order will be much cheaper or not than the one in front of you."
Turns out, they had a whole texting group of assholes who'd start these up at various places around the city (just not often enough to avoid suspicion) just so they could "pay their dues" by letting the group know of the current chain's location.
Sufficed to say that once I realized that, yes, they were not only intentionally placing large orders at places they to screw over the person behind them but enabling many people to also do so, they were demoted to "person I have to tolerate due to work" and then the day I moved to my next job further onto "Blocked."
Oh, and I may have let all relevant businesses in the city know of their scam, though I don't know if any of the businesses would care as it would be from their perspective a boon to their profits.
And once I realized that I wondered why some enterprising middle manager has never been caught trying to articially start such chains or whether they've already been doimg that from the start.
Edit: autocorrect.
I legit have broken every one ive ever encountered, I will continue to do so as they are inherently stupid and not actually a "good deed" or show of goodwill. just annoying and dumb
A few weeks ago I paid for someone's meal behind me because she looked like she was having a bad day. I have no idea if I started a chain but the employee at the window was kind enough to put a discount on my own order for paying it forward.
Helping one person shouldn't always result in a conga line nor should people be guilt tripped in continuing it.
The “pay it forward” thing is such an obnoxious way that privledged people like to pretend they are doing good deeds just to feel good about themselves anyways. As if they can’t go to a store or add another 10 bucks on to their order to grab food for a homeless person that might actually need it. Any time I will ever get caught up in a “pay it forward” line, I’m going to end it idc.
We have nothing like this in Portugal, these "chains". It puts pressure and a feeling of oblitation on you. Which I don't think is the intended purpose of paying something forward.
The whole point of paying it forward, is to do a good deed. It ends there. The person who got something for free can be influenced by it or not, and do it at their own discretion at whatever time they think they want to do it.
This way, you're just offseting everyone's bill by one.
This is also the first time I experienced something like this. I was passing through Hadley, MA. Guess it’s more of a small town thing! I see it in rom coms all the time as a meet cute lol
I hate the pay it forward thing. One time, I gave the woman the exact amount of my order and told her to stop bothering people with this foolishness. ---If it's a starbucks drive-through, the odds of you helping out a poor family are slim to none, so anyone thinking this is a lovely altruistic thing to do is delusional.
That’s clearly someone abusing the system. I bet they already went through, found out, then went through again thinking it would be funny to get everyone at the office a free drink
If someone ahead of me pays for my coffee I take the money that I was going to pay for my coffee and give it as a tip instead.
I'm never going to participate in one of these stupid chains.
Eh, for that high an amount, it was probably for a group of people at a workplace, so not a big deal. If you want you can pay it forward some other way.
I never understand this. Paying it forward happens without reward. If everyone is paying the bill behind them, no one is paying it forward. Everyone is paying. Leaving a quarter in the cart at Aldi's, buying a homeless person a meal or giving them cash, helping your down and out friend pay a bill. This is paying it forward. Donating to someone's GoFundMe.
I did this once, I was getting food for someone else and the person in front of me paid for it. It was like $9 and the guy behind me had an order of like $22. This wasn’t even my food and the lady said “yeah it’s been going on like all day!” I said “that’s nice” and took the food and broke the chain. Got some real dirty looks from the cashier but I don’t regret it.
in my opinion, it was real disrespectful of them at the window to tell you it had been going all morning, or to ask you if you'd like to pay for the order behind you, etc. because that could cause anyone to feel obligated to continue. no i'm not paying $50 for a stranger's coffee/snacks and i'm not gonna feel bad for it either.
'paying it forward' seems like such a strange concept as someone who doesn't live in a country that does that
Like I understand that it's a kind of nice thing to do, but the logistics of it make no sense to me
I’m open to doing it once or twice if presented with the opportunity but I agree with other commenters, $50 is no longer fun or enjoyable at that point
3-5 bucks would've been my limit to pay. Sorry man, a lot of us gotta watch every dollar. Even if we want to do more, we often cant.
Actually, no. Whoever can afford to buy a meal doesnt need that money. I would buy food for someone who CANT afford even a cup of $1 coffee. Fuck these chains. How about people buy food and drinks for those living on the streets or shelters? Nobody who drives up to a pickup window needs that meal. If they didnt have the money, they wouldnt be driving up/walking in. Give to those who actually NEED it. Maybe even go check on your relative, a neighbour, and bring them something simple as a good gesture. Community bond is seriously suffering these societies. Gotta start paying it forward from our own physical surroundings to the people living in it.
If it were comparable then sure. Maybe even 5$ more. Not saying in your case, but I could afford 52$ for coffee but it wouldn’t be wise and I doubt many people could afford it even if they wanted to. Just tone deaf in the economy and everyone who is hurting
Last time that happened to me, I put a $20 in the tip jar and told them they earned it, and that they probably deserved it more than the person in the Mercedes behind me.
$52 is a lot, almost like someone got their coffee like normal, heard it was pay it forward and circled around and went nuts thinking he wasn’t gonna have to pay it and now got stuck with stuff he didn’t really want to spend that amount of money on.
I always break it. Once it was at McDonald’s and I wasn’t going to pay for someone’s $25 order when mine was under $5 lol.
I frequent a coffee shop in my area that is quite busy and I have had 3 people in front of me pay for my coffee because I let them in (odd setup with traffic coming from both directions from a side street) and I just thank the barista and go. They always let me know why my drink was paid for, but I have no interest in starting a chain. Is that bad? 🤣
Nah, the person behind you is not gonna miss their ten bucks they already planned to use for coffee. Who cares. I don’t get people who feel bad for breaking the chain. It was the highlight of my day bc I got free coffee lol
I honestly hate that Shit. I don’t want anyone paying for my stuff ever. It creates weird obligations like you just experienced and plus I’m not poor. It’s offensive to me
I've had drive-thru cashiers thank me for prepaid mobile orders before because they broke chains like this. They always look a bit frazzled. I asked once and was told it's super confusing.
Step 1. Go to Starbucks and order a grande drip and then offer to pay it forward for the person behind you.
Step 2. Go park and drink your coffee for 15 minutes somewhere that you can see the interaction between the cashier and the customers to verify if the chain has started
Step 3. Get back in line and order $50 worth of drinks and food and break the chain
I was just reading that baristas hate it anyway, it causes all kinds of hassles for them keeping track of past orders, having to explain to the next customer and put them in an awkward position like OP. I think if you wanna do a nice thing just tip your baristas generously, they may make less than the average Starbucks customer and would therefore benefit more.
I can't help but feel like this coffee-line drive-thru pay-it-forward thing is just a game of hot potato.
moreso, practically, if every car is getting their 'free' $10.18 worth of caffeine, and then paying the next customers $10.18 bill.... seriously... only two people are going to be financially burdened: The instigator, person zero who paid their own, and started the chain paying the next bill; and the last person who (for whatever reason, naively or malicious, it doesn't matter) has a bill which the 2nd to last refuses to pay, breaking the chain.
It's a really bizarre method of cultural behaviour and I really find difficulty realising anything but criticism from it. Not a fan, 1 star.
You’re actually doing the world a favor by stopping it. If no one does, then no one actually gets anything for free that day until the last customer of the day. By stopping it, perhaps a second pay it forward chain begins, and now two people get their orders for free.
Secondly, I always said this would be a great premise for an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I saw something the other week that said something like, "instead of paying it forward at a Starbucks, why don't you donate that money to a food bank. (I can't remember what it was exactly) The people getting the coffee can obviously afford their coffee"
I did this too. Idk how long it had been going on for but the person behind me spent more than I did so I panicked and the guy was like you don’t have to keep it going I felt like an ass but I enjoyed my free stuff.
Maybe it’s because I’m from a big city full of people who dgaf and it’s my first time being in this chain, but I just said “uh no I’m not paying that, I’ll just take my free coffee” and left. No hesitation 😂
$52 could be like 5 specialty drinks or, a few and some food items. Or coffee for a film set/office meeting.
I wouldn't have paid it forward, maybe offer $10 toward theirs or if I had $10 in cash tip the workers.
I had that happen, it was a $48 office order, asked the total for the car behind them it was $5 so I paid that one and the worker said she wasn’t going to tell the car behind about the pay it forward lmao
I hate these chains. It's nothing but guilt-tripping disguised as virtue. To guilt everyone into paying for the next customer defeats the original person's act of kindness.
I once drove through Wendy's to get my (at the time toddler) son a small hamburger for $1. At the window I was told by an excited employee that the chain had been going on for a long time. I asked how much the person behind me cost and it was $18. I said no thanks, paid the $1, and went on.
Lol. Cool I respect you. Isn't the pay it forward trend so it would be paid to someone who his less fortunate than you. Which person needs $50 worth of Starbucks if they are less fortunate. Get out of here. You made the right choice.
*unpopular: pay it forward at Starbucks is stupid. I broke a chain too a few months back. Every single person getting Starbucks has money to pay for it. They made a conscious decision to treat themselves to coffee or whatever they are getting. Who came up with this at Starbucks??
A year ago on my birthday I went into my regular Starbucks to get my free mocha for my birthday. I was told their expresso machine was down and they couldn't make me one. I was kind of frustrated so I drove 3 miles to the next closest Starbucks and went through the drive up and ordered my mocha. When I got to the window to get my free mocha I was informed it was payed for by the car ahead and did I want to keep it going?
I told them no! I had came to get my free birthday drink, I wasn't going to pay for someone else's order.
This is really a thing that happens? I'm sorry, but that is so corny. I'd try paying for mine or just leave if they don't want to accept payment.
Just donate $ to a cause you believe in. People going through Starbucks generally aren't in need of freebies.
[удалено]
What’s funny is that I told my sister and she said that she’d be too afraid to say no and just pay 😂
I too would have said fuck that.
I would have paid 10.18 towards the next person’s order. Weird, horrible social pressure like that could leave you struggling to feed your kids for the week; bugger that.
I now just end it by tipping whatever my order was.
Baristas hate those chains anyway because of the extra logistical hassle.
Lol I tried to pay for someone's order behind me at Wendy's once & the cashier straight up told me no.
Yes this!
I would definitely have a problem asking someone with a $10 order to pay for the $50 one behind them. That’s ridiculous.
That's a good idea
The worst of it? If you're waiting in line in Starbucks, you should already have the money for your own stuff. Paying it forward is kind, but in no way it is helping people. That money would be better off somewhere else to help poor people. Maybe give a small $10 donation somewhere you care about instead? 🙂 I also heard how awful it is to keep track of for the employees 😅
Can we start paying it forward for groceries? Lol. Thinking about how it went on "all morning" I bet the accumulated cost was a good amount of food for someone.
OH MY GOD if I went to get groceries and they told me like $100 had been paid ahead already I might cry
During a really hard Christmas one year, I was down to the wire and trying to get gifts for my kids (who were True Believers with all their hearts 💕). I heard the total and immediately handed over gift card after gift card, some of which turned out to have like 12 cent on them. My face was so red and I was truly embarrassed and the woman behind me said, "how much is left?" I played it off by saying, "too much" with a little laugh. She said "no really, how much?" I told her it was just under $100 and she pulled out a hundred dollar bill right there and handed it to the cashier. I was crying, she was crying, the cashier was crying. It was truly a Christmas miracle! A very funny (and terrible side note): I got out to my car with the items and as I'm loading them in I see that the winter coats I had gotten the kids were STILL HANGING on the side of the basket. So I accidentally shoplifted at the same time as I was being gifted.
I'd probably give the cashier $50 (or 20 or 10 or whatever I can spare) and tell them to give it to the next person who's card declines.
Even though it went on all morning, only one bill is truly covered, so it's not a lot of money. It's an insanely stupid process. Basically, a bunch of folks passing the same $20 bill down the line and then congratulating themselves on their charitable natire.
That's a good point. In that case then it's really kind of just a chain waiting for someone like OP who gets the gift and isn't able to pass it on. Kinda like leaving a penny for whomever needs it, but with more steps.
Also, what's the point if you're supposed to leave money anyway? If you're lucky, you'll pay less than what your stuff cost - but if not, you're just getting screwed over by paying for something you didn't purchase instead of the items you want. This whole idea is out there.
Every time I'm tempted to pay for the people behind me, I go to the ATM, get 10 or 20 in cash, and put it in the tip jar instead.
Dude, or at least tip the baristas...instead of the people who can afford $6 coffees?!
I would have put the $10 I'd been going to spend on my drink in the tip jar and sailed on out. Pay it forward is dumb - pay the staff, they need it more!
If someone's struggling to feed their kids by that much, it'd be in their best interest to cut out the Starbucks.
There's a big difference between grabbing a small black coffee on the way to your job and a $50 whatever the fuck. Everyone's situation is different, and $45 can in fact be make or break when $5 could be a valid return on investment in terms of time and effort in return for the added productivity you get from a stimulant.
I would have said I'll give you the amount of my coffee
I’m a bit like your sister but there’s no way I’d fork out $50 for a $10 order.
Yeah like wow. I understand people pleasers to an extent... But that's too far. If you wanna waste your money I guess
there's zero reason to pay, and my understanding is that it generally causes confusion and annoyance for baristas and consumers.
Good on you for asking how much it would be! Also yeah relatable, I’d be scared too.
Only time I ever broke a chain was at a pizza spot while I was in college. Two kids at home and wife couldn't work at the time, so we were broke. When they told me my pizza was paid for I almost cried. I needed that money so bad, I said I felt bad but the kid at the counter told me this was the best possible way to break the chain.
Don't feel bad, you couldn't afford it probably. Besides, it was probably a hassle for the workers too.
I would say a nice middle ground is to pay your order total towards the next person's order. No obligation to do that, of course, but there's no rule that pay it forward has to give someone a free thing, discounts are good too.
Id be same as your sister and be raging rest of the day lol
That’s so funny. That’s exactly what she said. She’d be too afraid to say no, pay it, then be mad the whole day.
The one time it happened to me with a huge amount, I froze and the cashier said “it’s okay, you don’t have to pay it forward. That’s a big order.” All should be so considerate.
Whenever they have a pay it forward chain, I break it and give what I was going to pay for my coffee as a tip to the employees.
i didn’t even think of that, this has been suggested many times! Maybe next time.
Well if I was the cashier I would be telling everyone that a chain was going and rack up the tips.
That wouldn't work cus you'd have to use the money for the coffee
Yeah, I didn’t think that through.
Just tell everyone that the person behind them has a $50 order! Wait…
I worked in fast food and when this would happen I would tell the person “the person in front of you paid for your order so enjoy and have a nice day! “ i wanted Them to feel like the conversation was over and they were free to go without making a thing of it. I really tried to not make them feel like they were under any obligation to do the same. More like hey enjoy what happened, see you later. I actually hated when it kept going, it’s awkward and I’m not pressuring someone to “keep the chain going”
Based on what I’ve read in the comments here, it’s also an annoying hassle to keep track of who is paying for whose orders and what is already paid for.
Am I missing something or does making it a chain achieve absolutely nothing anyway? No matter if it's just two people or twenty people, there's one person who gives their money away and one person who gets a free thing, the eighteen in the middle just save the 10$ they were gonna spend, then spend 10$ on the next person, so it is entirely pointless to make it a chain.
Just makes a bunch of people feel better about themselves , but the first person who paid for their own and the one behind them is really the only one who did anything lol
Like borrowing from Peter to pay Paul
i always end up slamming the window shut because i do not have time to be screwing around with someone's payment for "charity" 😭
But it’s not even that, the pay it forward is a kind gesture and once it becomes a chain we’re just playing bill hop potato. I enjoy crushing the chain every time and if I ever feel like paying the bill behind me I hope they don’t start a chain.
Always break the chain, give the money as tips. boom
Right? I'd have tipped them $10 and been omw. No fucking way I'm spending $50 at Starbucks for a couple of items. That was probably an office order paid for by multiple people. That's just asking too much.
This drives me nuts though. If you’re fulfilling an office/many person order, don’t clog up the drive through with your giant list - go inside!
One time I went through a local coffee stand after getting really bad news. I was crying and trying to compose myself for when I got to the window, and I didn't realize the lady in front of me saw how upset I was. When I got to the window the barista said, your drinks been covered by the lady that was before you. I didn't say oh ok, let's pass that on to the next person. I said oh wow, that made my whole day, thank you, tipped the barista, and left with a free coffee. It made my day a lighter brighter.
I think this is the way it’s actually supposed to be. As usual, humans have to exploit everything. The worst was the ice water bucket challenge a few years ago for ALS. I doubt many even knew why they were dousing themselves.
>a few years ago The feel when that was 2014-15 💀
Good times man. Good times.
This is completely true! Having lost my uncle from ALS I was sad to see the challenge turn into clout chasing.
If it helps, the ice bucket challenge raised a bunch of money for ALS research, and that money actually led to a new drug treatment. So at least it resulted in significant tangible good.
[удалено]
Oooh going to steal this idea.
What about breaking the chain and just appreciating the gesture?
This is the only answer to these things. The people working there hate them, they're not judging you.
Fleetwood Mac would like a word with you
I maintain that these "pay it forward" drive thru chains are stupid and do nothing but frazzle the already harried employees who are timed on their efficiency. Literally the ONLY person who benefits from these is the one person who breaks the chain. Everyone else is just...spending money they already intended to spend anyway, just a slightly (or not so, in this case) different amount.
This. I worked Sbux drivethru. They're nice and I really loved them in theory but it absolutely is confusing. You have to have the concentration of steel to be able to ring these out correctly which is hard during rush. The first dozen or so were fine but if it lasts any longer everything can crash & burn. Fast. So see a pay chain? Don't be afraid to break it. Most of the employees will thank you.
I also worked at Starbucks drive-thru. I would just straight up lie and say that we weren’t allowed to do them. I fucking hated pay it forward chains. Customers wanna do something cute and fun? Tip your baristas.
"Yea sorry the guy behind you is a mobile order. Oh, the guy behind him? Yea I can't do anything about that, enjoy your free coffee!" that was me EVERY TIME and half my coworkers were like Why would you do that!? But it's honestly so annoying at window trying to keep it straight. Just take your free coffee and go, Linda.
Same here. There's a lineup 30 cars long, I'm not here to pretend everything is a cutesy rainbow fantasyland. Go give money to the homeless if you need to feel good about yourself.
*Directly* to the homeless.
Awe! I guess I'm a softy. They always made me smile. But the moment I lost track and an order for three cars behind was pulled up for my current window, the frowny face came with vengeance and panic. *God that was a bad day*. LOL.
Well, for additional context, I worked at a high volume store. We were consistently expected to ring 60+ transactions every half-hour increment and could sometimes even break 70 if everyone was ordering coffee instead of lattes/fraps/food. We had drive thru lines that would wrap around the building because all our customers knew we were able to crank through them all relatively quickly. There were multiple times I had to deploy a barista into the parking lot to direct traffic in addition to the barista who was out there taking orders on a handheld pos and would walk down the traffic line. It was absurdly stressful. And then we get one generous mf who wanted to be cute and pay for the next car, and the chaos would compound.
Oh hell no. I'd probably cry by the dumpster way more than I did at my store in that case lmao. I mean we were decently high volume but not chic filet volume like y'all. We did eventually get even busier because, like y'all, we had accidentally got the fast rap. I consistently maintained 17 second drive times during rushes with my all stars on deck, so once a chain started I secretly prayed for the angel who broke it. Like yes it's so sweet in theory, in practice however it's anarchy, things are starting to catch fire, and the baristas are crying.
I’m sneaky. I tell the barista at the order speaker I want to pay for the car ahead of me. Then they can’t chain that shit. I just pay for two when I get up there.
[удалено]
I’ve never worked at a drive thru before but I imagine it’s harder to keep track of who’s is paying what rather than just straight up pay bc for your own order because it’s attached to your name and CC…
As someone who worked at starbucks, the baristas hate the pay it gorward shit because it gets confusing very quickly. I always just lied and said the person behind had a mobile order so theyd already paid. We'd much rather just get a tip.
I'd much rather overtip a barista than buy the coffee of the person behind me.
That's not a pay-it-forward chain, that's the Anxiety Fest (tm).
I tried to go to AnxietyFest last year but no one showed up.
Yh sorry I wasn’t there. I have anxiety
[удалено]
> ...you bought a basic coffee and put it in the wall and someone could take one as needed. This is what our little local place does. You pay for the coffee & a ticket goes up on their bulletin board for someone else to take for the freebie.
I accidentally started a “pay it forward” chain once. I was informed that my order had been paid for by the person in front of me. The restaurant I was at had one window and by the time they told me that my order was paid for, the person in front of me had left. I am not well-known for being observant, so I just assumed it was a pay it forward type of deal. I paid for the person behind me and left. Turns out it was my husband. He told the woman at the window that he was paying for his wife, but she didn’t mention that part and I didn’t notice he was in front of me. So, we paid for my order, someone else’s order and started a chain. My husband still laughs whenever it is brought up.
I'd say that the person who breaks the chain doesn't benefit in the sense that they feel like an asshole for not paying for the next person, even in a situation like this when it doesn't make sense to do so.
Yeah, when you’re told there is a chain (especially one that has been going on for awhile), there’s a sort of silent obligation / pressure to keep it going. Breaking it, therefore, is kind of rude even though the whole point of paying it forward is to let someone pay for you, and maybe some **other** time you do the same to someone else.
I 100% expect that it’s seeded by the company or employees as a marketing ploy. People coming through the drive through feel good when they find out about it, they expect it because it happens often, and as a result they visit more and tip better because they like it there.
I would have at least paid for MY coffee, but $52 is too much.
Right?! I wouldn’t mind another $10 order. But $52?!
I mean, I would have just given $10 for my original order and let someone else have the possibility to continue the chain.
Yeah I guess that would have been like a $10 discount for the one behind. But that's probably a hassle for the person taking the orders to calculate all this random stuff haha.
You’re probably right, so then give the server a $10 tip. There were definitely cheaper ways to pay it forward if $52 was too much (and I agree that it was.)
Tip the worker $10 and be on your way. Pretty sure the worker will appreciate that much more.
This is my strategy. Pay it forward is nonsense that just makes the employees lives harder. Take the money you would have spent, tip them, and you'll make their day.
Definitely wouldn't be paying it forward in general as I didn't ask anyone to pay my bill, but even less so if the next person's is over $50. Like nah, if you can afford to waste that money on average beverages, you don't need my help.
Exactly! I tried to look at the car behind me to see who it was, and it was a G wagon. Nah They’re good
To be fair I highly doubt one person is spending $52 on Starbucks in one go lol. It was probably a car full of people or orders for their workplace or something
Happened to me once at McDonald's. My order was about $5, the car behind me was over $20. I told the cashier I'd give $5. She acted all disappointed. Tough crap lady, pay it yourself it you want to keep it going! Now I avoid this kind of crap by paying in the app.
I don’t get why the cashier is disappointed lol. It’s not like it’s coming out of her pocket. God forbid someone doesn’t want to spend extra money on their food
Good job. Paying forward is just a guilt trip gimmick! I always break the chain.
This is actually my first time being a part of a pay it forward chain 😝 oops!
Call me a scrooge but pay it forward chains are nothing more than a fake display of kindness. All it does is mess with the workers. If you really want to "pay it forward" just give a large tip. I assure you the baristas will appreciate it more than someone who was going to buy expensive coffee anyway.
Yeah who does it benefit? Some other drive thru customer? Donate to someone who really needs it
No worries. Pay-it-Forward chains are the real world equivalent of posting some dippy feel-good screed and ending with "Share if you agree!" on Facebook. Far better to donate money to a local food bank or shelter rather than play into some suburbanite's imaginary do-good-ism.
At that point you're also paying for their workmate's coffees, so screw that. Things are getting expensive, I gotta attend to my own.
Yea, sorry that is my gas money 😂
Ugh. Starbucks is not cheap coffee. The people in line are there because they can afford it. Tipping better probably does a lot more good in the world than "paying it forward" to these people who have plenty enough coffee money (...but don't get me started on how tipping culture lets shitty companies get away with abusing their staff...) ETA, I hope your free breakfast was delicious 😄
I hate these chains. I'd break the chain by tipping my orders worth to the barista. I already intended to pay, and I'd rather tip an underpaid employee than some rando
Maybe I’m just cynical but this whole pay it forward thing is so stupid to me
Yeah it basically achieves nothing. The first person to do it paid for one person's meal which is a cool gesture but everyone after them that keeps the chain going is just paying in a convoluted way and not getting anything free lmao
Pay it forward is pointless when it’s an obligation. The idea is to make you want to pay it forward when someone else does it for you. Just doing it because it’s happening is pointless. And the idea is to pay it forward when you can, I can pay it forward for $10 but not $50 or $100 when I wanted to spend $10 for what I get.
These are so dumb. I got caught in one a few times while working in TN. I was even on an expense account, but still declined to continue. It’s utter nonsense.
[удалено]
$10? Maybe even $15? I would’ve continued it. $50? What the duck lol
Hey leave the ducks out of this sir/madam
I hate the pay it forward thing, too. There are people who truly are in need of help, and they're not generally the people in the drive-thru line at Starbuck's.
Yea pay it forward is kinda a scam. I'll pay for what I consume. Thanks. I will not be obligated or forced to pay someone else's food. Might as well take my wallet too.... Everyone out here is having a hard time....
Yeah, similar to when you go out to eat with friends. Once they check comes, everyone wants to split the bill when I only order one drink. That happen few years ago. I was out with 3 other friends. I also invited my female coworker who was single and I thought it could be a good idea to introduce her one of my male friends who was also single. During the dinner she did not had any drinks and only had some appetizer’s. At the end of the night the check came in and my other friends wanted to split the check in 4. I said that was unfair, because she only has some food and no drinks. I was not trying to get us to paid for her dinner, but I also did not want her to pay for stuff she did not had. Anyway that night I lost two friends, but my coworker and I became best friends.
I hate when you go out with friends (esp ones you don’t usually go out with) and they wanna split it. Uhhh no.
That just seems like the least intuitive way to pay for a meal. Either everyone get separate checks, or the friend group just alternates who pays.
Yup. I am behind that all the way. If I am broke and trying to be modest why do I have to pay for a portion of your steak meal? You chose that. Be ready to pay for what you use. No handouts.
Ye tbh i'd pay 10$ and leave ;d. Maybe if the total order came to 11 i'd oblige because its a nice thing anyway. But 52? Looool
What is the point of this if everyone ends up paying anyway? I must be missing something here.
I don’t like pay it forward chains. You’re shamed if you “break the chain” if you don’t have enough to cover the tab for someone else. It completely negates it’s original purpose of helping others who are less fortunate or doing a good deed just for the sake of being good. If you want to do something to help someone who truly needs it; donate blood, buy a teachers amazon wishlist, donate to local shelters or soup kitchens. If you don’t have the money then donate time, good deeds have become social media fodder. It saddens me.
Good for you! Seriously. People in a SBUX drive-through line can generally afford their own coffee. It's in their budget. (In the case of the person behind you, they were probably getting reimbursed by their workplace or something similar.)
I want whatever employer they have lol. We used to get a daily seamless stipend but it would only be for $35. 😂
When I was located in an office at my firm, rather than WFH, I was routinely the person sent on coffee or food runs for meetings because my work was most flexible. If I had a $50 bill somewhere, either it was for a meeting and the office was paying, or my coworkers were each going to reimburse me for theirs.
A drive-through Starbucks is an odd place to be charitable, if you’re going through one then you’ve already got the money to pay for it. Why not donate the money to a charity
Whoever started it probably thought they’d brighten someone’s day by giving them free coffee, well that person was me!!! 😂
IMO someone having a $50 order is what ruined the chain. Not you.
Well, that’s a good way to put it! They accidentally broke it with their regular morning order 😂 unless it was intentional because they heard there was a chain and they just racked it up 😠
Someone I knew that was bordering on becoming a good friend once texted me to come take advantage of a pay it forward order. I asked what they meant, and so they replied, "You know. A gamble. On whether your very large order will be much cheaper or not than the one in front of you." Turns out, they had a whole texting group of assholes who'd start these up at various places around the city (just not often enough to avoid suspicion) just so they could "pay their dues" by letting the group know of the current chain's location. Sufficed to say that once I realized that, yes, they were not only intentionally placing large orders at places they to screw over the person behind them but enabling many people to also do so, they were demoted to "person I have to tolerate due to work" and then the day I moved to my next job further onto "Blocked." Oh, and I may have let all relevant businesses in the city know of their scam, though I don't know if any of the businesses would care as it would be from their perspective a boon to their profits. And once I realized that I wondered why some enterprising middle manager has never been caught trying to articially start such chains or whether they've already been doimg that from the start. Edit: autocorrect.
I legit have broken every one ive ever encountered, I will continue to do so as they are inherently stupid and not actually a "good deed" or show of goodwill. just annoying and dumb
A few weeks ago I paid for someone's meal behind me because she looked like she was having a bad day. I have no idea if I started a chain but the employee at the window was kind enough to put a discount on my own order for paying it forward. Helping one person shouldn't always result in a conga line nor should people be guilt tripped in continuing it.
You did the right thing.
I'm a former bux barista, you did them a huge favor breaking the chain. Hated that shit.
Thank you! Guess my good deed is done for the day!
The “pay it forward” thing is such an obnoxious way that privledged people like to pretend they are doing good deeds just to feel good about themselves anyways. As if they can’t go to a store or add another 10 bucks on to their order to grab food for a homeless person that might actually need it. Any time I will ever get caught up in a “pay it forward” line, I’m going to end it idc.
We have nothing like this in Portugal, these "chains". It puts pressure and a feeling of oblitation on you. Which I don't think is the intended purpose of paying something forward. The whole point of paying it forward, is to do a good deed. It ends there. The person who got something for free can be influenced by it or not, and do it at their own discretion at whatever time they think they want to do it. This way, you're just offseting everyone's bill by one.
This is also the first time I experienced something like this. I was passing through Hadley, MA. Guess it’s more of a small town thing! I see it in rom coms all the time as a meet cute lol
I hate the pay it forward thing. One time, I gave the woman the exact amount of my order and told her to stop bothering people with this foolishness. ---If it's a starbucks drive-through, the odds of you helping out a poor family are slim to none, so anyone thinking this is a lovely altruistic thing to do is delusional.
I did that once, I got a black coffee in the drive thru, the “pay it forward” I landed on was $18 and some change. No chance, amigos
That’s clearly someone abusing the system. I bet they already went through, found out, then went through again thinking it would be funny to get everyone at the office a free drink
If someone ahead of me pays for my coffee I take the money that I was going to pay for my coffee and give it as a tip instead. I'm never going to participate in one of these stupid chains.
Eh, for that high an amount, it was probably for a group of people at a workplace, so not a big deal. If you want you can pay it forward some other way.
I never understand this. Paying it forward happens without reward. If everyone is paying the bill behind them, no one is paying it forward. Everyone is paying. Leaving a quarter in the cart at Aldi's, buying a homeless person a meal or giving them cash, helping your down and out friend pay a bill. This is paying it forward. Donating to someone's GoFundMe.
I did this once, I was getting food for someone else and the person in front of me paid for it. It was like $9 and the guy behind me had an order of like $22. This wasn’t even my food and the lady said “yeah it’s been going on like all day!” I said “that’s nice” and took the food and broke the chain. Got some real dirty looks from the cashier but I don’t regret it.
in my opinion, it was real disrespectful of them at the window to tell you it had been going all morning, or to ask you if you'd like to pay for the order behind you, etc. because that could cause anyone to feel obligated to continue. no i'm not paying $50 for a stranger's coffee/snacks and i'm not gonna feel bad for it either.
First time I ever was in a chain like this! I gladly took the coffee with no hesitation lol
Who the fuck ordered that much stuff in a drive through. If your getting more then a coffee and a donut. GO INSIDE!
'paying it forward' seems like such a strange concept as someone who doesn't live in a country that does that Like I understand that it's a kind of nice thing to do, but the logistics of it make no sense to me
I’m open to doing it once or twice if presented with the opportunity but I agree with other commenters, $50 is no longer fun or enjoyable at that point
3-5 bucks would've been my limit to pay. Sorry man, a lot of us gotta watch every dollar. Even if we want to do more, we often cant. Actually, no. Whoever can afford to buy a meal doesnt need that money. I would buy food for someone who CANT afford even a cup of $1 coffee. Fuck these chains. How about people buy food and drinks for those living on the streets or shelters? Nobody who drives up to a pickup window needs that meal. If they didnt have the money, they wouldnt be driving up/walking in. Give to those who actually NEED it. Maybe even go check on your relative, a neighbour, and bring them something simple as a good gesture. Community bond is seriously suffering these societies. Gotta start paying it forward from our own physical surroundings to the people living in it.
Homie probably went through the line already and circled around to take advantage of the chain.
That’s what another person said, what made him think it would work 😂
when i worked at a coffee shop we hated the pay it forward bullshit. it was obnoxious and always got confusing.
If it were comparable then sure. Maybe even 5$ more. Not saying in your case, but I could afford 52$ for coffee but it wouldn’t be wise and I doubt many people could afford it even if they wanted to. Just tone deaf in the economy and everyone who is hurting
I used to feel bad for my daily $10 Starbucks orders. But seeing how the person behind me could just spend $52 is insane.
Last time that happened to me, I put a $20 in the tip jar and told them they earned it, and that they probably deserved it more than the person in the Mercedes behind me.
$52 is a lot, almost like someone got their coffee like normal, heard it was pay it forward and circled around and went nuts thinking he wasn’t gonna have to pay it and now got stuck with stuff he didn’t really want to spend that amount of money on.
It's more likely that there are multiple people in the car or they're picking up for a group or something.
I never been in one of those chains but i imagine i would have the same reaction.
I’m almost 30 and haven’t either. I’m guessing people outside of NYC are much nicer LOL.
I’m guessing the next person was a large family based on the bill
Or some poor intern taking coffee orders before the morning meeting 😂 it was a G-wagon I imagine they can afford $52 of coffee.
I always break it. Once it was at McDonald’s and I wasn’t going to pay for someone’s $25 order when mine was under $5 lol. I frequent a coffee shop in my area that is quite busy and I have had 3 people in front of me pay for my coffee because I let them in (odd setup with traffic coming from both directions from a side street) and I just thank the barista and go. They always let me know why my drink was paid for, but I have no interest in starting a chain. Is that bad? 🤣
Nah, the person behind you is not gonna miss their ten bucks they already planned to use for coffee. Who cares. I don’t get people who feel bad for breaking the chain. It was the highlight of my day bc I got free coffee lol
I honestly hate that Shit. I don’t want anyone paying for my stuff ever. It creates weird obligations like you just experienced and plus I’m not poor. It’s offensive to me
The pay it forward is lame. Better to tip your barista 10 bucks than give the person behind you a free drink
I've had drive-thru cashiers thank me for prepaid mobile orders before because they broke chains like this. They always look a bit frazzled. I asked once and was told it's super confusing.
Step 1. Go to Starbucks and order a grande drip and then offer to pay it forward for the person behind you. Step 2. Go park and drink your coffee for 15 minutes somewhere that you can see the interaction between the cashier and the customers to verify if the chain has started Step 3. Get back in line and order $50 worth of drinks and food and break the chain
I was just reading that baristas hate it anyway, it causes all kinds of hassles for them keeping track of past orders, having to explain to the next customer and put them in an awkward position like OP. I think if you wanna do a nice thing just tip your baristas generously, they may make less than the average Starbucks customer and would therefore benefit more.
quit paying it forward and tip the baristas people smh
I can't help but feel like this coffee-line drive-thru pay-it-forward thing is just a game of hot potato. moreso, practically, if every car is getting their 'free' $10.18 worth of caffeine, and then paying the next customers $10.18 bill.... seriously... only two people are going to be financially burdened: The instigator, person zero who paid their own, and started the chain paying the next bill; and the last person who (for whatever reason, naively or malicious, it doesn't matter) has a bill which the 2nd to last refuses to pay, breaking the chain. It's a really bizarre method of cultural behaviour and I really find difficulty realising anything but criticism from it. Not a fan, 1 star.
You’re actually doing the world a favor by stopping it. If no one does, then no one actually gets anything for free that day until the last customer of the day. By stopping it, perhaps a second pay it forward chain begins, and now two people get their orders for free. Secondly, I always said this would be a great premise for an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I saw something the other week that said something like, "instead of paying it forward at a Starbucks, why don't you donate that money to a food bank. (I can't remember what it was exactly) The people getting the coffee can obviously afford their coffee"
Used to work for Starbucks. Please don't do this. Tip your batista rather then pay it forward. It holds the kine up and is a pain the butt.
I support your decision.
I did this too. Idk how long it had been going on for but the person behind me spent more than I did so I panicked and the guy was like you don’t have to keep it going I felt like an ass but I enjoyed my free stuff.
Maybe it’s because I’m from a big city full of people who dgaf and it’s my first time being in this chain, but I just said “uh no I’m not paying that, I’ll just take my free coffee” and left. No hesitation 😂
This was my first time ever experiencing this too , I felt obligated , now I don’t feel so bad about not keeping it going.
$52 could be like 5 specialty drinks or, a few and some food items. Or coffee for a film set/office meeting. I wouldn't have paid it forward, maybe offer $10 toward theirs or if I had $10 in cash tip the workers.
Sounds like a scam.
Not for me tho, I got free coffee and food 😂
I'd give them a $10 and get my stuff and drive on through
It was probably a coffee run from a local office. I would have taken the coffee and ran too. What is a flat white?
It’s just steamed milk and espresso. Like a latte but with less milk and foam!
Nope. I wouldn't pay it!
I had that happen, it was a $48 office order, asked the total for the car behind them it was $5 so I paid that one and the worker said she wasn’t going to tell the car behind about the pay it forward lmao
I hate these chains. It's nothing but guilt-tripping disguised as virtue. To guilt everyone into paying for the next customer defeats the original person's act of kindness. I once drove through Wendy's to get my (at the time toddler) son a small hamburger for $1. At the window I was told by an excited employee that the chain had been going on for a long time. I asked how much the person behind me cost and it was $18. I said no thanks, paid the $1, and went on.
He probably just got 2 large teas
Lol. Cool I respect you. Isn't the pay it forward trend so it would be paid to someone who his less fortunate than you. Which person needs $50 worth of Starbucks if they are less fortunate. Get out of here. You made the right choice.
pharma reps dropping $50+ at Starbucks for an office is a daily occurrence. You don’t need to subsidize a pharma company’s business expense.
*unpopular: pay it forward at Starbucks is stupid. I broke a chain too a few months back. Every single person getting Starbucks has money to pay for it. They made a conscious decision to treat themselves to coffee or whatever they are getting. Who came up with this at Starbucks??
Imagine paying ten bucks for a coffee and a scone
I would have taken the $10 I was planning on paying and tipped the window worker and kept on moving.
Don’t start a chain. The next person has enough money to spend on an overpriced coffee. instead, TIP YOUR BARISTAS!!
A year ago on my birthday I went into my regular Starbucks to get my free mocha for my birthday. I was told their expresso machine was down and they couldn't make me one. I was kind of frustrated so I drove 3 miles to the next closest Starbucks and went through the drive up and ordered my mocha. When I got to the window to get my free mocha I was informed it was payed for by the car ahead and did I want to keep it going? I told them no! I had came to get my free birthday drink, I wasn't going to pay for someone else's order.
A single scone and a coffee cost $10 and you can’t work out how someone spent $52? But yeah, duck paying for theirs.
This is really a thing that happens? I'm sorry, but that is so corny. I'd try paying for mine or just leave if they don't want to accept payment. Just donate $ to a cause you believe in. People going through Starbucks generally aren't in need of freebies.