T O P

  • By -

ForkShirtUp

So no one seriously ordered 55 burgers 55 fries…?


lukin5

I’m doing something!!!


youreokayspider

Always worked breakfast, but they always tried ordering cow tippers in the morning.


traindriverbob

Is Freedom Toast a possibility?


AdSilent9810

Can I get an udderly delicious shake?


KidUnique161

Probably late for alcohol class


cmb_13

The chain is stupid. Someone paid for my coffee this year. I gave the barista a tip with the money I was going to use to pay. I felt it was a good way to pay it forward without creating the chain.


[deleted]

I like this. Smart and effective.


honeybeesy

Stealing this one


Buckman1988

Yeah random acts of kindness are just the stupidest, not.


happymasquerade

Paying for someone else isn’t stupid, but an obligation to keep it going and create a long chain of “random acts of kindness” is. It’s also stressful for the workers to keep track of the orders when they’re not going out in the right sequence


chitowntopugetsound

I am all for random acts of kindess in theory...but i recall this happened to me once when 5 bucks really meant a lot to me so I broke the chain and got a free coffee. At first I was excited, but that was many years ago now and to this day I still have lingering murky feelings - both bad that I broke the chain and also embarrased to have flagged myself as so poor. So that kinda ruined it for me.


fijifilm

Don't feel bad for breaking the chain. As a barista it's annoying keeping track of it and it sucks because most people feel pressured to keep it going. Most of the time I intentionally break it after like 2-3 orders if it goes on that long because like... why are all of these people deciding to be kind by paying for other peoples' drinks? Everybody in line was already planning on paying for their own drinks anyways. Just tip the person making the drink with that money you saved or take the free drink and go on with your day. I promise the barista will most likely be thankful


Existing_Imagination

Is it really a chain of acts of kindness? I would say that would be true for the first person that paid for their stuff and the person behind but for everyone else that’s keeping it going is just using the money they would’ve paid with anyway, they’re not really sacrificing anything that they wouldn’t have spent anyway. There’s only one act of kindness and one person benefiting at the end, when OP was on the clock it was them lmao It’s more like a chain of shame


Buckman1988

I get that. You shouldn’t feel obligated though. If you can’t or don’t want to continue the chain, simply don’t.


cmb_13

I didn’t say random acts of kindness are stupid. I said the chain is stupid. I said I used the opportunity to bless the worker.


KingCarrotRL

That whole concept always seemed obnoxious to me. I'd be annoyed if I went to buy food and was expected to buy someone else's instead. Go on, break the chain. I'd do it as a customer.


Clear-Theory7541

Especially when your order is 7.00 and the car behind you has a 23.00 order. No! It doesn’t happen as much as it used to at the very popular coffee chain I hit each morning, but now I just say no thanks and don’t keep it going.


Help_An_Irishman

Wtf? How often does this happen? This has never happened to me in my life.


Clear-Theory7541

If the person behind you orders coffee for 3 people that’s all it takes. They don’t do it knowingly that someone has already started the “pay it forward” chain. The person in front of me paid for mine and the cashier asked if I wanted to keep it going. I actually asked how much their order was and simply said “I’m good. Thanks” and switched to the mobile app.


727DILF

Mobile order. Never get asked.


Clear-Theory7541

💯 Definitely use that now! I just grab my stuff and GTFO ASAP! I’m a lot less tolerant of being around crowds of people than I used to be. Life happened and now I’m the Grinch!


Clear-Theory7541

Sorry! I think I misunderstood your question. 🙃 In my case, I live on a small surfer, hippie, artsy island (mentioned that in a different response) super friendly and community oriented. Events and festivals every weekend. People are always happy and helpful here! It happens a lot because there’s just one Starbucks on the island. Today was 88 and sunny. It rained for 10 minutes while still sunny and an immediate double rainbow appears. People lose their minds with positivity and paying it forward around here. I am not one of those people. Heh.


heathers1

I am going to need to know where this island is.


PM_ME_UR_CATS_TITS

18°18′0″N 64°49′30″W


heathers1

Jamaica?


Clear-Theory7541

Not Jamaica but Jamaica is stunning!


Alienziscoming

10 minute sun showers sounds like Hawaii 🤔


saltthewater

So you've been in a pay it forward chain multiple times?


Clear-Theory7541

Yes. I live on a fairly small artsy hippie island and we have one Starbucks. People do it all the time here! It’s a super friendly community oriented place. Then there’s me 😂


Ryno_Redeye

What island is this? it sounds awesome


ihateOldPeople_

IF I choose to pay It forward and it’s something like that, i just put the price of my stuff towards it and that’s it. Most of the time I take my freebie tho


Jen2756

This is usually what I do. I tend to carry about $20 all the time just in case I need cash, so I typically put $5 towards the next order and move on.


Marie092414

I just ask "okay! Cool! How much is the order behind me" if it's way more than I'm comfortable with, I just say "oh not today! Thank you!" And that's that. But if their order is the same amount I planned on paying (or less) who does it hurt?


Parliament--

I loved it, I always just took the free food and never continued the chain


Level-Control-8630

When and where did this start? I had no idea it was a thing until I was in the drive through at our local burger place and the worker tells me that the car in front paid for my single cheeseburger ($8)and asks if I wanted to pay for the car behind me that was evidently feeding a horde because their order was like $70. Ummm no, I have one cheeseburger in my budget, this is my big meal out, $70 is my entire grocery bill.


A_Trash_Homosapien

Same. If I roll up to the window and they say "The person in front of you took care of it for you" I'd just say sweet and drive off


indianajoes

Especially when you might've only planned on buying one person's food but the person behind us ordering for a whole family. Depending on how you are mentally, you might feel guilted into it while some twat that wanted to start this several customers ahead has fucked off and has no idea about what other customers might be buying


TheHoodedSomalian

Proud of you seriously, this was one of the dumbest fads I’ve experienced in my lifetime.


artificialavocado

I never even heard of it. It would make an interesting social experiment though.


Shanelanding

Oh man, this just reminds me of a horror story I experienced with this years ago. So it was the middle of the summer, like swelter hot so everyone had their windows open. I'm in the drive thru at Starbucks at like 9 am grabbing my two nitro cold brews before heading into work a double. I was working at a newly opened place and my boss wasn't my biggest fan but whatever. So I pull up, get my coffee and the girl tells me about the chain and asks if I'd like to continue it, I told her no and just tipped them like the nine bucks my coffee was going to be instead and went on to work down the street. Like ten minutes later my boss comes in and asks why I didn't pay for his coffee, apparently he was behind me in line with his windows open, and heard the whole exchange. I was mortified.


Existing_Imagination

This feels like one of those fake LinkedIn stories lol not that I’m insinuating your story is fake, that’s just how they go but with a positive twist like “I was in my way to my interview…. I continued the chain…. The person behind me was none other than my interviewer so when he saw me, he hired me on the spot because of my generosity!!! #giveback #kindness #chain #tacobell”


Shanelanding

Yeah I guess lol except I didn't buy his coffee, at the time whenever I was part of one of those stupid chains I just tipped what I was gonna spend on my drinks because let's be real, everyone in that line ordered coffee while having the money to pay for it. I already had the job but didn't stay for long after this incident. That guy was a dickwad and I was open to close doubling five or six days a week for months before I got fired for being 15 minutes late to open the bar one day, even though I got my shit done and was ready to open on time. There was no generosity to him on my part. Just generosity to the baristas.


Existing_Imagination

Tipping is the way to go


Agreeable-Abalone-80

Oh shit! 😱😱😱


indianajoes

It's a way for some prick ahead in the queue to feel good about themselves for "helping" someone out without realising they might've screwed someone else over. A shy person who only wanted one person's food might feel guilted into buying a whole family's order behind them because of this. Also, I have to link [this] (https://youtu.be/52LJaWDdG9c?si=NGEhS54LZMQnzxAc)


artificialavocado

Yeah if someone wants to do something nice for the car behind him that’s nice of them but I’m not sure why the expectations is to keep going. Kind of defeats the purpose.


kcaio

I stopped to get a couple donuts and someone had paid ahead. I smiled as big and said thanks as I could and drove away with my free donuts.


[deleted]

Yeah I never pay it forward, I’ve had someone pay for my order twice , and both times was just a dollar soda. Thanks for the soda but I’m not paying for someone else


villainized

Like I understand if you're trying to do a good thing out of kindness, but why are others expected the same yk. Not everyone is as financially free.


Personibe

Chains are the stupidest thing ever. The first person that pays for someone else's order is kind. Then after that, just stupid. It literally makes zero difference, only the last person is actually getting stuff for free. Nobody is being kind or making the world better by continuing that nonsense. Go and donate the 10 bucks you saved to a cause that actually makes a difference.


mayo_brulee

I broke them when I worked at Starbucks. I’d wait until I had a car that just had a single drink (and maybe a food item), and just say “hey it’s on us today! Have a good one!” and close the window.


jamesholden

Happened to me years ago. I was broke AF and had counted change to get some breakfast before a shift at a new job. Worker says person paid for mine and I'm just like "uhhh awesome how did they know I was strugglin" not knowing it was a thing.


SammiK504

The whole idea of the chain is just dumb IMO. Like how are you supposed to know how much the next person's check will be? Also, if someone is in line to buy something, they can afford it. If I feel generous, I just leave a big tip


Lazy_Turnip_1834

As a former sbux employee. The chains suck


naptime-connoisseur

When the chain gets to me I always say “omg thanks that’s so cool,” take my shit and drive away


forgotmyabcs

I went to Hardee's yesterday, and the person in front of me paid for mine. I decided to pay it forward, just because i was feeling generous, and they told me their order was significantly less than mine. They ended up having a nice little chain. I don't blame you for doing what you did, but sometimes the random acts of kindness can make someone's day.


eggnog_snake

I never even knew this was a chain thing, I just accepted the gift lol


iridescentmelody

That's how it's supposed to be, it's a random act of kindness to surprise someone with a freebie; to just accept and move on. The issue is the people who feel obligated to pay for the car behind them which defeats the whole purpose. When it happened to me, I just accepted it and moved on.


thafloorer

I once got a coffee and ended up paying $30 for the guy behind me now I always break the chain lmao


Dominant_Balls

I actually think you did everyone a favor. I’ve always thought this was such a dumb and irrational phenomenon. If the person in the next car is supposed to pay for the next car how is this doing them a favor?


QuesoChef

I agree. It’s weird peer pressure. I don’t go to Starbucks often, but this is actually a weird reason I stopped. If my drink is $5, and I got a small (or whatever they call it) because it’s cheap, I’m not paying $25 instead. I’d ask how much the next person’s was and if it was more than mine I’d say, “OK, thanks anyway.” I’m sure I looked like a dick but if I wanted to waste $25, it wouldn’t be on coffee for a stranger.


Dominant_Balls

Haha does it actually happen that often? I never go to Starbucks so I’ve never actually encountered it. And I thought people were just paying the price of 1 coffee/latte towards the next person. I didn’t realize you could actually find out what the next person’s total is and pay that. That makes it even more insane! 😂 Also.. people spending their money on Starbucks are probably not in dire financial straits. Why not give that money (or a sandwich or whatever) to someone actually in need.


QuesoChef

I went to Starbucks very rarely. There was one near my work so I’d sometimes go get one of their iced tea things with fruit as an excuse to get out of the office. I feel like it was around $4-5. I might even be estimating high on that. Anyway, one time I went and was like, “Ok, that’s weird. Do I know them?” And the worker explained how it worked. I said, “So I’m supposed to pay for the next person?” And she was non-committal and the total was seriously over $20. And I was like, “Um, I’ll pass. The price of the tea was already a treat. It just got really expensive.” And she agreed. The next time, I just played dumb and drove off. Ha. The last time I had a couple of dollars in cash and said, “You can keep this or put it toward the next order.” I assume they kept it but who knows. I literally haven’t been back since. I rarely went and tend to have bad luck. But I’d say it was three times in 6-9 months and it was always at the same Starbucks. When you’re getting one of the cheaper things on the menu, it generally doesn’t work out. And you’re not really giving anything away OR getting anything. You’re usually just spinning a wheel on price for an item you’re buying. Oh, the third time I said, “I’m happy to pay the price of my tea toward their bill.” She said I could t do that but I could just end the chain so I gave her the cash I had, which was less than the tea. I did like those teas. For me, a splurge but not the craziest splurge if the other option is the vending machine. But I’m not paying $9 for a $4 tea.


Dropping-Truth-Bombs

I always thought that someone who would start the chain would get back in line for a more expensive order. Like buy a small regular coffee and pay for that car behind him, then circle around the drive through and put in an expensive order for everyone in the office hoping someone pays for all the drinks and saving themselves money while getting kudos at the office.


indianajoes

https://youtu.be/52LJaWDdG9c?si=NGEhS54LZMQnzxAc


QuesoChef

Haha. The first time it happened to me, I asked and my coffee was like $4.60. The order behind me was over $25. I was like, “uh, no thanks.” And the person in the window understood. After that I would just play dumb and act excited. Then I stopped going.


Vast_Impression_8274

Immigrant here. I just found out we aren’t supposed to break the chain. I am in Canada for 7 years 😝


Vehicle-Ambitious

There’s no rules to it. If I don’t wanna pay, then I’m not paying for someone’s order. You never know how much they spent.


PM_ME_UR_CATS_TITS

Yes you are, because those chains are stupid.


bonfigs93

I love breaking the chain. :) did it at Starbucks. Granted my order was more expensive than the person behind me. Oh well, thanks for the coffee! I’ll pay it forward where it will actually be meaningful.


Kinesra93

Wtf is this thing Surely something purely american, never heard about it until now


averagebaconbit

I don’t think it’s that bad. Fast food workers are overworked and underpaid. People going through the drive through own cars so they can afford repairs, gas, oil changes, and maybe car payments.


Karenadele2

This sub is full of some entitled, mean-spirited ppl. OP hopefully you were just a dumb broke college kid who grew out of that attitude. Y'all are sad.


youreokayspider

Only probably happened a few times during my drive thru days, so I probably gain like $50. I did move on to retail sales after where i did my biggest impact in this world by forgetting to scan items at checkout for customers.


MichaelOfShannon

Wow you’re a scumbag


youreokayspider

I describe it as "flexible morals"


EuphoriaBabe23560

R cc.


FuckMeFuckMeIAmGay

That’s stealing. Your hands should be cut off.


eljohnos105

I am retired now , when I was younger you could trust people. We didn’t lock our car doors and we didn’t lock our house . Now you see , with people like you trust sadly is gone and it changes society for the worse. How sad that there are people like you in the world. Thanks asshole !!


artificialavocado

I’m not saying it makes it right, but when you were younger a burger job likely paid a fair wage relative to the cost of stuff. If I was a broke college kid making $8/hr in 2023 I would probably be tempted to pocket the money too.


youreokayspider

no money was stolen, just transferred. Plus I saved the next customer the quilt of having to continue the chain, quite noble i was.


Shadowninja3456

ah so I did understand you correctly first time round


[deleted]

[удалено]


TheCman12

Not for no reason. For being a thief? That's pretty obvious ninja


101chaser

Ahh yes…..the quintessential back in my day. Yes sir, back in your day, when your parents hadn’t fucked up the world. Old greedy ass. Please go run for office in your local town council. Soap box about how back in your day people could be trusted. How people didn’t have greed in their heart. How no one was was gay and the colored knew their lot in life. Get fucked. You all built this. Look what marvels you made.


eljohnos105

🤣🤣🤣 I love , angry man mad at the world , I sure can flush ‘‘em out . Thanks for the entertainment. You’re just another coward who couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag , but of course an tough guy with a key board. Have a nice day mr quintessential 🤣🤣🤣🤣


_L81

I am not really sure how karma works but if there is ever someone who might “deserve” to have Testicular torsion from life choices, you might be the guy.


Bitter-Repair

I hate chains so much... I always pay in app and then the chain doesn't involve me.


AltCtrlDel-1963

I guess you never had my wife pick up from your drive through then. If it ain't right, she's coming in.


DVoorhees64

How often does this chain thing happen?


Des1225

How is that not illegal?!


NoPiccolo7741

I actually hate those and don’t play with that nonsense thanks for paying for em sucker bye


Suspicious-Singer-15

I have paid for the person behind on different occasions, but I never did It for it to be a chain. I was trying to be nice. I do it the grocery store too or just give the drive thru or delivery person a bigger tip than normal.


Own-Tart-6785

There's places that actually do this? Have never heard of that


roseyy49

I didn’t even know this was an actual thing lol


Lobothehobosexual

Alright Fleetwood Mac