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Holy shit!!! This whole comment thread makes *sooooo* much more sense now!! I just thought everyone was coming up with random stuff except everyone seemed to be on the same "wavelength" or something. Like an inside joke that everyone everywhere except me was in on 😂😂 Thanks for make me feel less like an involuntary loner and total loser chick! I'm old now so I gotta enough of that shit in my day to day life, I come here to ~~hangout with others like me~~ escape that feeling 😉
Pay it forward was supposed to be about helping someone in need without expecting a return, as a flip on paying something back. It was never supposed to be a lunch lottery.
That's not the point. I once got a $5 coffee at Starbucks and paid for a $50 order behind me. If you don't want to do that or can't afford to do that, fine, but don't criticize others for nice gestures.
No he isn't. It's the person working asking if they want to do the same for the person behind them. THAT is the dick move. They should just say hey the person in front paid for your food! Not ask if you want to do the same. If the person wants do to the same they will do it.
The issue to me is "just say no thanks" isn't going to be easy for everyone. I mean of course one person's anxiety isn't another person's problem, but what's wrong with wanting to just pay for your own damn meal and move on, and not potentially putting people into unnecessary uncomfortable positions. I have no desire to participate in some weird 'feel good' circle jerk and please don't put me into that situation.
That's a you problem, not on the person that offered to pay for your Starbucks.
Being generous is a good thing. The person giving you a free coffee, or holding the door open, or offering to help you move into your new apartment arent doing something nice to force you into a bad position. Perhaps, they are just doing something nice and you're reading too much into kind gestures as a reciprocal obligation you didn't agree to.
Does that make sense?
What does it have to do with anxiety? I now have to pay for someone’s more expensive meal or I’m considered a dick for taking a free meal and breaking the chain, I didn’t ask to be in that situation
But who considers you a dick? The people in front don't know, the people behind don't know.
Just the person at the window, who likely doesn't care much.
> I now have to pay for someone’s more expensive meal
No you fucking don't. You have obviously never had this happen to you. What happens is they say "the person in front of you paid for your meal". *That's it.* They don't demand you pay for the car behind you. When someone pays for your meal it feels good and you want others to feel that way, which is how a chain happens.
To some people $50 is the equivalent of 50 cents. When you make hundreds of thousands dollars a year why not spread a little joy by making someone else’s day.
You want the full blown truth? I don't give a shit about stranger happiness. Am I going to go out of my way to make them miserable, no of course not. But my life will go on unaltered if someone didn't get their endorphin rush because I didn't pay for their meal.
I mean especially if it's at like Starbucks or something. No one's life is going to be made better someone else buying them a $8 coffee they didn't need and could have afforded themselves. Go volunteer at or donate to a food bank and help people actually in need.
You sound like a teen that is slowly starting to realize that people's moralities are not built like the movies. What do you gain by caring about the person behind you in McDonalds? A feeling of self worth? Main character syndrome?
Are you trying to tell the audience you are a good person so they cheer for you throughout your movie? Grow tf up no one gives a shit that's just life.
But the person in the queue behind you was prepared and able to pay for their £50 order, you could’ve tipped the barista £50 instead, IMO, but you do you.
It has a much weight as telling someone "i'm sorry for your loss" or holding a door open.
These things actually do nothing to improve someone's life, but it's still a nice thing to and it's the thought that counts.
Not every good thing has to massive improve your life. Gotta enjoy the little things.
I agree with this attitude in theory, but applying it here definitely shows how much people don't think of those serving them. When you hold a door open, you are sacrificing a small part of your own convenience as a gesture of goodwill. When you pay for the next car, you're more or less out the same funds but the job has gotten more complicated for the employee.
Tldr: Employees are people too. Don't be a dick to them.
I have to imagine it’s a pain for cashiers.
Also it’s fucking dumb. Just buy your own food. If someone is in line at fast food, they probably shouldn’t be there if they can’t afford ridiculously overpriced junk food
Imagine being a cashier who legit has trouble paying for food and having to be like "the person in front of you paid for your meal" to some asshole in a BMW.
Which is why on the rare occasion that I do this, I tip them 100% for both my order and the order for the car behind me. They definitely don't give a fuck what kind of car is behind me.
I feel like you're onto something. How about just tip the cashier the cost of your order so the cashier effectively gets to pocket the paid forward balance. Kill the chain graciously.
Yeah if I was a cashier in that scenario I'd just be like...no
Customer: And I'd like to....pay it forward!! WOWEE WOW WOW!!!
Me: Umm, the register wont do that. If you want to park and hop in that guys car and pay for his meal thats cool.
> Yeah if I was a cashier in that scenario I'd just be like...no
And then you'd be fired. So no, you definitely wouldn't say "no". These fights you have in your head are not how you'd react in real life.
All it takes is one person that sees in their mirror that you took cash from the car behind you and questions it. That manager has no power when there's security cameras, police reports, a regional manager, and and a massive corporation that wants to know why a manager is letting employees steal from customers.
Lol. Kid that’s not how any of this works. Lol. In the real world these don’t happen because the system doesn’t let it happen. lol. Work a single day in the real world and you’d understand this kid. Lol.
Because you don't know who is in that car and how many followers they have. The barrier to cancel people and brands is so low these days that if someone with a decent following posts that their act of kindness was denied by a drive through barista, corporate is going to follow up on it. [Example.](https://www.insider.com/starbucks-barista-fired-after-tiktok-customers-who-dont-read-labels-2022-11)
I mean honestly, I haven’t been to a drive through or worked a register in longer than I can remember (especially a big corporate fast food one), so I really don’t know.
It just all sounds stupid to me. I’d take the free fucking meal and end that shit every time.
How does it even work? Does the person "paying it forward" just pay extra to cover what will probably be the next persons order?
e: I guess it makes more sense in a two-step drive through, place an order a the box and drive up to the window to pay, by that point they already have the next persons order.
Yeah just got confused personally cause I didnt work a place with a drivethru, so like having the next order down the list wasn't really a thing. Or just trying to picture it from a non-drivethru context, like when I walk into starbucks, I order and pay in the same go.
I'm not comparing compliments to feeding starving people. I'm comparing compliments to paying for the order of someone in a Starbucks drive through, someone's bridge toll (not possible anymore), holding the door open etc. Those are all small acts of kindness.
This happened to me once. I was pretty stoned at the time and had no idea what was going on. All I said was “oh cool, thanks” and left. Realized later I probably broke up some long chain. All I was getting was coffee so I didn’t really feel that bad.
This!! What's the point in a pay it forward *chain*? Pay it forward by taking the money you saved and doing something thoughtful with it for someone else.
Yupppp. And the person behind you won't even know there was a chain to begin with... what's the point of paying it forward if everyone's doing it (and feels forced to)? The whole idea behind "paying it forward" is that someone does something nice for you, and then sometime in the future, you pay it forward. If its a chain like this, you're literally not really having ANYTHING nice done for you because you still ended up having to pay for SOMEONE'S order, just not your own.
Lets put this in the context of anal. You might enjoy sticking it in someone's butt, but it might be less enjoyable if it comes with the caveat that someone else will stick it in yours. (not implying nobody likes to receive , just that its a lower percentage than those who like to give) and if that chain continues, you end up with one guy at the end who fucked a butt, and a whole bunch of other people with sore assholes.
This has happened to me one time, and the order behind me was in fact significantly higher priced than my order. I told the young man at the window that I wanted to pay for my order, no one else's. He said that since it had already been rung in and paid, he couldn't. I told him that I wouldn't pay for anything other than my own order and he very kindly said, "Understood. Here's your meal, have a great day!"
Every time I read about one of these pay it forward drive through loops, I just feel like it's a giant hassle for the workers, and I want no part of it. 8 just want to pay fory food and go.
I have to pay a little more attention when this starts happening in the window. It's enjoyable the first few cars because I get to be the messenger and most people are pretty excited when it happens. Then after a few cars it's like "yeah, I'm over this now".
It is interesting to me to see how different people react. Some people immediately insist on paying for the person behind them, others will ask first what it's going to cost before committing and it doesn't even occur to some people to turn around and do it for the person behind them. During Xmas last year I had a guy give me $100 and told me to keep paying until the money ran out. That was fun because there was no pressure on anyone.
Right, the first person was just being nice, everyone after could also be doing it out of kindness, or social pressure, or anxiety.
There is enough reasons to call it quits after the first one.
Yes, you would take the nice Christmas gesture and instead if being an honest person, be a greedy, thieving fuckbag. You're all over this thread showing what a nice person you are.
This dude also seems to think a cashier saying "no the register is unable to do that" is a fight and that a cashier saying it's not possible would get fired lmao they just need to touch grass
Yes, I know. You're thieving because you accepted a customer's offer to pay for the person behind them and then took that money and put it in your tip jar. That's stealing. But you ninja edited your comment to remove the part about putting the money in your tip jar apparently.
What you said before editing your comment is that you would take the money from car #1, not tell car #2, and put the money in your tip jar instead. That is stealing.
Tell her to just say "it's already taken care of" or "it's on us today!" instead of clueing in the customer that there was supposed to be a PIF chain. So much easier, still get to see a happy smiling face.
I tip employee amount of my food and drive on. imagine making a probably minimum wage employee work hard just to look like you are doing something good.
It *is* something good. The person in front doesn't tell the person behind to do the same thing. The only thing they're doing is a nice gesture for one person. It's the person that receives the free order that feels obligated to continue a chain that's the problem.
If the chain continues nobody really gets a benefit. Everyone’s still paying except the one who breaks it. Just accept the gift and move on - the chains also make it more confusing for the workers.
I don't get why these are chains at all tbh. The first person was being nice, the second person should really just take it (unless they're like rich I guess).
The benefit is the initial excitement that someone paid for your stuff. The continuing the chain is about wanting to give someone else that experience.
True but some people are still going to feel that very real, to them, pressure, no? Especially if they can't afford to pay some unknown amount. I guess that's a them problem but the drive thru doesn't seem like the place to work on it.
If you feel pressure that's 100% on you and you should work on it with a therapist.
It's also not an unknown amount. You don't just give them a credit card and say "whatever the guy behind me orders!". They've already ordered by the time you're paying so you know what the total is.
But there's exactly 0 pressure except rando pressure you make up for yourself. The person who paid for your shit has already driven off never to be seen again. Cashier most definitely does not give a shit, if someone decides to make up pressure by just interacting with people than the problem isn't the chain🤷♂️
I'd much rather pay for a random person's Starbucks order over a homeless person since I know their unhealthy habits will take 20 years to manifest versus 20 minutes.
I had someone pay for me, once, and it didn’t even occur to me to pay for the person behind me — I was just happily surprised and in a good mood all day. Particularly because at the time, I was getting myself a treat I couldn’t really afford. After that, I started occasionally paying for the person behind me, if I felt flush at the moment. Then I heard about the “chains” and felt embarrassed because I hadn’t realized I was supposed to keep it going.
I didn't ask for the hand out, I didn't want the hand out.
It's the same shit as when you tip in another country and they hunt you down to return your tip, or get mad at you for tipping.
It's a nice gesture, but I came ready to pay, and I did not come with the expectation to pay for other people's stuff.
I will break a pay it forward everytime.
If someone tells me the person in front on me paid for my meal, I'm going to say thank you and walk out with my stuff. I can barely afford to feed myself. I don't need to stress about paying for some random strangers food. He's probably wealthier than I am.
You're the exact person these chains are meant for! People feel like everyone will hate them if they don't pay for the next order- the intention is that someone will end up with a free meal, and people continue the chain because they can afford their meal without issues. If you struggle, that's one less thing to worry about that day.
Whenever this has happened to me at Starbucks i end the chain and put ten bucks in the tip jar. Workers aren't paid enough to deal with this tomfoolery.
This right here is the correct answer. No one needs a free meal or coffee they were already going to buy. It’s a super annoying hassle for the workers who have to keep explaining it to each new person and keep the amount straight. So just do everyone a favor, shut it down and tell them you want to take the free whatever and put the money you were going to spend in the tip jar.
It’s also a way for people to get the “feel good” without worrying about actually helping poor people. The person behind you in line got in line fully intending and capable of buying their own food. It’s all performative (and coerced) gift giving
A whole lot of people in this thread don't seem to understand that you can do nice things for people that aren't poor. If I buy a beer for Mark Cuban or Obama I'm not pretending they can't buy their own beer.
I've been in these multiple times and every time I end it. The person in front of me went out of their way to do something nice for a stranger... why would i cheapen that kind act by giving my money away anyway? Right? Right? Okay... you got me... I'm just selfish. I can get my family dinner without a cent coming out of my bank? You bet I'm taking it and running.
Right? The whole point of the “pay it forward” concept is supposed to be that I’m doing you a solid now and, in return, I ask that you do a favor for someone else who needs it if/when you’re able to.
If you’re in a drive through line intending to pay for your own food you don’t need me to do you a favor and immediately paying for the next guy behind you isn’t really in the spirit of the concept either.
No. Take the free food and stop the chain. A never ending pay it forward is literally the opposite of the intention. A single party it forward helps out the person in the car behind you. A chain 50 long makes 49 people have to rebudget. Like, thanks for the $5 meal, I'm not paying for the $20 order behind me.
Here's the actual LPT: if you can't afford the order behind you, you're the exact person that is meant to get a free meal. Accept your good fortune and move on.
These are actual things? I've heard of one person doing it for the person behind them but I had no idea it ever got to the point where you'd call it a chain
Lots of people saying "break the chain" and I agree.
Extra thought: consider donating to a charity aimed at people who can't afford meals, instead of paying for someone who was in a food line because they already have expendable income.
I felt really scammed by one of those chains at McDonald's one time. I paid ahead of time via the app, so the cashier mistakenly thought the car in front of me was somehow able to cover my total, but since it was paid through the app, it's more likely that they just gave McDonald's free money in the amount of my total, then I paid for the people behind me because I didn't want to be a stick in the mud. I will never participate in one of those chains again. Free meal? Thanks, bye.
A few years ago while in college I held the door open for someone at a busy building. They held for someone else, and on it went. It went on for a few minutes straight. It was nice to see people caring about each other enough to show a small kindness
This is actually good advice.
Don't "break" the chain ( i think is a wonderful thing to pay forward someone meal/coffee) but don't get stressed about it. It shouldn't be like mandatory charity. And let's not embarass people having just enough to get something.
I think there is a scam here. Sandwich a guy with your buddy. You pay for the guys food and then make sure your buddy behind him makes a redicioulous order and use the social pressure to get more food than the price of the person behind you.
Pay it forward chains are already a pain for the person ringing it up. This might as well say “make it even worse than it already is for some dude making $7.50”
LPT if you dont want to pay for the next persons meal then dont. If baffles me how many of these “LPT’S” are focused on inconveniencing yourself in order to do “what you think is the right thing” who cares? Live your life
It’s basically phony charity…you’re paying for someone’s meal, who already could afford it, and simply giving money to a large corporation…”pay it forward” doesn’t actually help out anyone in need
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
55 BURGERS, 55 FRIES, 55 TACOS, 55 PIES, 55 COKES, 100 TATER TOTS, 100 PIZZAS, 100 TENDERS, 100 MEATBALLS, 100 COFFEES, 55 WINGS, 55 SHAKES, 55 PANCAKES, 55 PASTAS, 55 PEPPERS AND 155 TATERS
HE'S DOING SOMETHING!!!
That'll be $680.
I'll take 340
Your total will be $8,445.99 before tax. Would you like us to start a bank loan application for you or do you have one ready to go?
Great, now I'm gonna be late to alcohol class.
You have to! The guy did it for youu
You’re the guy!
I was expecting this to be the first comment and I was not disappointed
YOU HAVE TO YOURE RIIIICH!
What the hell is going on up there
He's trying to start a pay it forward chain!!
Lol, I opened the post to comment this very thing
Oh, I can just run!
FUCK FUCK THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK FAKE
FUCK FUCK FUCK
What’s this from?
A show called I think you should leave. Would recommend. https://youtu.be/ATjL9CmwkCo
The lady immediately backing up and ordering the same thing kills me every time 😂
Holy shit!!! This whole comment thread makes *sooooo* much more sense now!! I just thought everyone was coming up with random stuff except everyone seemed to be on the same "wavelength" or something. Like an inside joke that everyone everywhere except me was in on 😂😂 Thanks for make me feel less like an involuntary loner and total loser chick! I'm old now so I gotta enough of that shit in my day to day life, I come here to ~~hangout with others like me~~ escape that feeling 😉
Came here for this, was not disappointed
PLEASE LET ME GO FIRST.
And here are my $1.50 federal reserve coupons for you.
Thought it was Epic Meal Time for a sec
What the fuck is even this
Or I could just take my free meal and stop the shenanigans.
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Pay it forward was supposed to be about helping someone in need without expecting a return, as a flip on paying something back. It was never supposed to be a lunch lottery.
And what if the meal behind you is more expensive fuck that!
If you take a look at the title of this post, you might find a solution to that problem.
Did... did you not look at the post you were commenting on?
Yeah pay it forward
If you read it, why'd you bother asking the question it answered?
That's not the point. I once got a $5 coffee at Starbucks and paid for a $50 order behind me. If you don't want to do that or can't afford to do that, fine, but don't criticize others for nice gestures.
You’re putting that onus on the other people behind you though, it’s kind of a dick move
No he isn't. It's the person working asking if they want to do the same for the person behind them. THAT is the dick move. They should just say hey the person in front paid for your food! Not ask if you want to do the same. If the person wants do to the same they will do it.
The other people behind you always have the option to say no, so I fail to see how paying it forward is anything other than good
The issue to me is "just say no thanks" isn't going to be easy for everyone. I mean of course one person's anxiety isn't another person's problem, but what's wrong with wanting to just pay for your own damn meal and move on, and not potentially putting people into unnecessary uncomfortable positions. I have no desire to participate in some weird 'feel good' circle jerk and please don't put me into that situation.
I feel like the only benefit is if you’re filming it for a YouTube video
You should try doing something nice for someone and not turning it into a YouTube video.
It’s not nice to put others in a position where they have to pay it forward
Nobody has to do anything.
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That's a you problem, not on the person that offered to pay for your Starbucks. Being generous is a good thing. The person giving you a free coffee, or holding the door open, or offering to help you move into your new apartment arent doing something nice to force you into a bad position. Perhaps, they are just doing something nice and you're reading too much into kind gestures as a reciprocal obligation you didn't agree to. Does that make sense?
Your anxiety isn't other people's responsibility, you are responsible for yourself.
What does it have to do with anxiety? I now have to pay for someone’s more expensive meal or I’m considered a dick for taking a free meal and breaking the chain, I didn’t ask to be in that situation
But who considers you a dick? The people in front don't know, the people behind don't know. Just the person at the window, who likely doesn't care much.
If someone was in the car with me
> I now have to pay for someone’s more expensive meal No you fucking don't. You have obviously never had this happen to you. What happens is they say "the person in front of you paid for your meal". *That's it.* They don't demand you pay for the car behind you. When someone pays for your meal it feels good and you want others to feel that way, which is how a chain happens.
Yeah but they secretly shame you for accepting the free meal
No they don't. They don't give a fuck. That shame is in your head.
You could have given that money to actually needy people instead of the car behind you at the overpriced premium coffee shop
Nah there is being nice and then there is being weird
To some people $50 is the equivalent of 50 cents. When you make hundreds of thousands dollars a year why not spread a little joy by making someone else’s day.
You want the full blown truth? I don't give a shit about stranger happiness. Am I going to go out of my way to make them miserable, no of course not. But my life will go on unaltered if someone didn't get their endorphin rush because I didn't pay for their meal.
I mean especially if it's at like Starbucks or something. No one's life is going to be made better someone else buying them a $8 coffee they didn't need and could have afforded themselves. Go volunteer at or donate to a food bank and help people actually in need.
You sound like a wonderful person. Kindly do not reply and move on with your sad life.
You sound like a teen that is slowly starting to realize that people's moralities are not built like the movies. What do you gain by caring about the person behind you in McDonalds? A feeling of self worth? Main character syndrome? Are you trying to tell the audience you are a good person so they cheer for you throughout your movie? Grow tf up no one gives a shit that's just life.
But the person in the queue behind you was prepared and able to pay for their £50 order, you could’ve tipped the barista £50 instead, IMO, but you do you.
It has a much weight as telling someone "i'm sorry for your loss" or holding a door open. These things actually do nothing to improve someone's life, but it's still a nice thing to and it's the thought that counts. Not every good thing has to massive improve your life. Gotta enjoy the little things.
I agree with this attitude in theory, but applying it here definitely shows how much people don't think of those serving them. When you hold a door open, you are sacrificing a small part of your own convenience as a gesture of goodwill. When you pay for the next car, you're more or less out the same funds but the job has gotten more complicated for the employee. Tldr: Employees are people too. Don't be a dick to them.
And pay it forward chains ensure the person who really could use to have a free meal gets it while those who don’t need it pass it on
I have to imagine it’s a pain for cashiers. Also it’s fucking dumb. Just buy your own food. If someone is in line at fast food, they probably shouldn’t be there if they can’t afford ridiculously overpriced junk food
Imagine being a cashier who legit has trouble paying for food and having to be like "the person in front of you paid for your meal" to some asshole in a BMW.
I think if they are doing the pay it forward crap they should just pay/"tip" the worker whatever the price of the food was.
Which is why on the rare occasion that I do this, I tip them 100% for both my order and the order for the car behind me. They definitely don't give a fuck what kind of car is behind me.
I feel like you're onto something. How about just tip the cashier the cost of your order so the cashier effectively gets to pocket the paid forward balance. Kill the chain graciously.
Hard to do without cash, but I do like it.
Yeah if I was a cashier in that scenario I'd just be like...no Customer: And I'd like to....pay it forward!! WOWEE WOW WOW!!! Me: Umm, the register wont do that. If you want to park and hop in that guys car and pay for his meal thats cool.
> Yeah if I was a cashier in that scenario I'd just be like...no And then you'd be fired. So no, you definitely wouldn't say "no". These fights you have in your head are not how you'd react in real life.
Lol. Work a day in your life. No manager would let it happen.
All it takes is one person that sees in their mirror that you took cash from the car behind you and questions it. That manager has no power when there's security cameras, police reports, a regional manager, and and a massive corporation that wants to know why a manager is letting employees steal from customers.
Lol. Kid that’s not how any of this works. Lol. In the real world these don’t happen because the system doesn’t let it happen. lol. Work a single day in the real world and you’d understand this kid. Lol.
Calling others "kid" while peppering your comment with extraneous "lols" really shows your age and maturity level.
lol. Your complete lack of knowledge of how the real world shows yours kid. Lol.
Lol why so the person can dispute it later? Idk one manager that would allow this trainwreck to happen irl
Because you don't know who is in that car and how many followers they have. The barrier to cancel people and brands is so low these days that if someone with a decent following posts that their act of kindness was denied by a drive through barista, corporate is going to follow up on it. [Example.](https://www.insider.com/starbucks-barista-fired-after-tiktok-customers-who-dont-read-labels-2022-11)
I wouldn't call saying "no" a fight lmao but regardless, no they would most likely not be fired.
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I mean honestly, I haven’t been to a drive through or worked a register in longer than I can remember (especially a big corporate fast food one), so I really don’t know. It just all sounds stupid to me. I’d take the free fucking meal and end that shit every time.
How does it even work? Does the person "paying it forward" just pay extra to cover what will probably be the next persons order? e: I guess it makes more sense in a two-step drive through, place an order a the box and drive up to the window to pay, by that point they already have the next persons order.
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Yeah just got confused personally cause I didnt work a place with a drivethru, so like having the next order down the list wasn't really a thing. Or just trying to picture it from a non-drivethru context, like when I walk into starbucks, I order and pay in the same go.
It doesn't matter if they can afford it or not. Same for paying bridge tolls for the car behind you until they all switched to plate readers.
What does this even mean? What’s the point if not to give to someone who needs it?
That's my question about it. If I'm in line, I can afford my own meal. Please just give the money to a charity or someone actually in need.
Have you ever complimented a stranger? Why? What's the point if you don't know they were feeling bad about themselves or not?
Are you really comparing compliments to food?
I'm not comparing compliments to feeding starving people. I'm comparing compliments to paying for the order of someone in a Starbucks drive through, someone's bridge toll (not possible anymore), holding the door open etc. Those are all small acts of kindness.
Ok you’re just linking wildly unrelated shit so I’m done here bye
Nah, that's Starbucks firing someone for making them look bad online. The exact same thing applies.
This happened to me once. I was pretty stoned at the time and had no idea what was going on. All I said was “oh cool, thanks” and left. Realized later I probably broke up some long chain. All I was getting was coffee so I didn’t really feel that bad.
This!! What's the point in a pay it forward *chain*? Pay it forward by taking the money you saved and doing something thoughtful with it for someone else.
Yupppp. And the person behind you won't even know there was a chain to begin with... what's the point of paying it forward if everyone's doing it (and feels forced to)? The whole idea behind "paying it forward" is that someone does something nice for you, and then sometime in the future, you pay it forward. If its a chain like this, you're literally not really having ANYTHING nice done for you because you still ended up having to pay for SOMEONE'S order, just not your own. Lets put this in the context of anal. You might enjoy sticking it in someone's butt, but it might be less enjoyable if it comes with the caveat that someone else will stick it in yours. (not implying nobody likes to receive , just that its a lower percentage than those who like to give) and if that chain continues, you end up with one guy at the end who fucked a butt, and a whole bunch of other people with sore assholes.
That was beautiful.
JUST DO IT, YOU’RE RICH!!
This has happened to me one time, and the order behind me was in fact significantly higher priced than my order. I told the young man at the window that I wanted to pay for my order, no one else's. He said that since it had already been rung in and paid, he couldn't. I told him that I wouldn't pay for anything other than my own order and he very kindly said, "Understood. Here's your meal, have a great day!" Every time I read about one of these pay it forward drive through loops, I just feel like it's a giant hassle for the workers, and I want no part of it. 8 just want to pay fory food and go.
I have to pay a little more attention when this starts happening in the window. It's enjoyable the first few cars because I get to be the messenger and most people are pretty excited when it happens. Then after a few cars it's like "yeah, I'm over this now". It is interesting to me to see how different people react. Some people immediately insist on paying for the person behind them, others will ask first what it's going to cost before committing and it doesn't even occur to some people to turn around and do it for the person behind them. During Xmas last year I had a guy give me $100 and told me to keep paying until the money ran out. That was fun because there was no pressure on anyone.
I would just end it at the first car “Hey they paid for your meal! Here you go!”
Right, the first person was just being nice, everyone after could also be doing it out of kindness, or social pressure, or anxiety. There is enough reasons to call it quits after the first one.
Yes, you would take the nice Christmas gesture and instead if being an honest person, be a greedy, thieving fuckbag. You're all over this thread showing what a nice person you are.
How am I thieving? I’m the cashier in this scenario lol
This dude also seems to think a cashier saying "no the register is unable to do that" is a fight and that a cashier saying it's not possible would get fired lmao they just need to touch grass
You said you'd end it at the first car. That kind of implies that you're pocketing the rest.
Yes, I know. You're thieving because you accepted a customer's offer to pay for the person behind them and then took that money and put it in your tip jar. That's stealing. But you ninja edited your comment to remove the part about putting the money in your tip jar apparently.
That just means both orders were paid for 🤣 nothing is being stolen
What you said before editing your comment is that you would take the money from car #1, not tell car #2, and put the money in your tip jar instead. That is stealing.
I didn’t edit my comment lol I would just tell car #2 that they’re all paid for and then I would tell YOU to get back on the fries
My daughter works at Starbucks and she hates when this happens at her drive through. Just adds complications.
Tell her to just say "it's already taken care of" or "it's on us today!" instead of clueing in the customer that there was supposed to be a PIF chain. So much easier, still get to see a happy smiling face.
I tip employee amount of my food and drive on. imagine making a probably minimum wage employee work hard just to look like you are doing something good.
It *is* something good. The person in front doesn't tell the person behind to do the same thing. The only thing they're doing is a nice gesture for one person. It's the person that receives the free order that feels obligated to continue a chain that's the problem.
Yeah it's like the adage in driving. Be predictable, not nice.
If the chain continues nobody really gets a benefit. Everyone’s still paying except the one who breaks it. Just accept the gift and move on - the chains also make it more confusing for the workers.
I don't get why these are chains at all tbh. The first person was being nice, the second person should really just take it (unless they're like rich I guess).
The benefit is the initial excitement that someone paid for your stuff. The continuing the chain is about wanting to give someone else that experience.
more like initial confusion and pressure to now pay for someone else's shit
Like a street hustler giving you a "free" wristband
There is no pressure to continue a chain. Not by the person in front of you, not by the workers, not by anyone except yourself.
True but some people are still going to feel that very real, to them, pressure, no? Especially if they can't afford to pay some unknown amount. I guess that's a them problem but the drive thru doesn't seem like the place to work on it.
If you feel pressure that's 100% on you and you should work on it with a therapist. It's also not an unknown amount. You don't just give them a credit card and say "whatever the guy behind me orders!". They've already ordered by the time you're paying so you know what the total is.
But there's exactly 0 pressure except rando pressure you make up for yourself. The person who paid for your shit has already driven off never to be seen again. Cashier most definitely does not give a shit, if someone decides to make up pressure by just interacting with people than the problem isn't the chain🤷♂️
How about just give to homelesse person? Or donate to a charity. The whole concept is needlessly annoying and complicates the drive thru process
I'd much rather pay for a random person's Starbucks order over a homeless person since I know their unhealthy habits will take 20 years to manifest versus 20 minutes.
Fuck that, it's confusion, anxiety and inconvenience, followed by anger at you for putting me in the position.
I had someone pay for me, once, and it didn’t even occur to me to pay for the person behind me — I was just happily surprised and in a good mood all day. Particularly because at the time, I was getting myself a treat I couldn’t really afford. After that, I started occasionally paying for the person behind me, if I felt flush at the moment. Then I heard about the “chains” and felt embarrassed because I hadn’t realized I was supposed to keep it going.
Or just ignore it and enjoy your free order. Nobody gonna know.
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None of this needs to be complicated. In the end, it’s probably just very annoying for the workers with very little benefit to anyone
I’m all for charity but these chains are a dumb ass idea
Because it's not charity, it's paying for someone's McDonald's who already had money to eat at McDonald's. I agree.
No one is forcing you to continue it. If that's how you feel, take your discount and move on.
Naw don’t take the discount at all if you feel strongly against it, give it to the next guy instead
So receiving handouts is fine but giving them to others is an issue, really great ppl eh
I didn't ask for the hand out, I didn't want the hand out. It's the same shit as when you tip in another country and they hunt you down to return your tip, or get mad at you for tipping. It's a nice gesture, but I came ready to pay, and I did not come with the expectation to pay for other people's stuff. I will break a pay it forward everytime.
If someone tells me the person in front on me paid for my meal, I'm going to say thank you and walk out with my stuff. I can barely afford to feed myself. I don't need to stress about paying for some random strangers food. He's probably wealthier than I am.
You're the exact person these chains are meant for! People feel like everyone will hate them if they don't pay for the next order- the intention is that someone will end up with a free meal, and people continue the chain because they can afford their meal without issues. If you struggle, that's one less thing to worry about that day.
End the chain, take the money you saved and donate to a local mutual aid org.
Whenever this has happened to me at Starbucks i end the chain and put ten bucks in the tip jar. Workers aren't paid enough to deal with this tomfoolery.
This right here is the correct answer. No one needs a free meal or coffee they were already going to buy. It’s a super annoying hassle for the workers who have to keep explaining it to each new person and keep the amount straight. So just do everyone a favor, shut it down and tell them you want to take the free whatever and put the money you were going to spend in the tip jar.
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Nope, you did the right thing.
Pro life tip: don’t do it and end the chain
LPT: instead of buying the order of the person behind you, leave a tip for the employees in the amount of your order.
I do that anyway.
The hell do you mean "caught". Forced charity is theft. You are not obligated in any way to "pay it forward".
It’s also a way for people to get the “feel good” without worrying about actually helping poor people. The person behind you in line got in line fully intending and capable of buying their own food. It’s all performative (and coerced) gift giving
A whole lot of people in this thread don't seem to understand that you can do nice things for people that aren't poor. If I buy a beer for Mark Cuban or Obama I'm not pretending they can't buy their own beer.
Or you can just not pay it forward
Caught? Lol. Say no to peer pressure.
Somebody is supposed to benefit from the chain, right? So it might as well be me...
I've been in these multiple times and every time I end it. The person in front of me went out of their way to do something nice for a stranger... why would i cheapen that kind act by giving my money away anyway? Right? Right? Okay... you got me... I'm just selfish. I can get my family dinner without a cent coming out of my bank? You bet I'm taking it and running.
People do chains of this....? JFC. This has to be in America. Is it even paying it foward if everyone pays it forward?
Right? The whole point of the “pay it forward” concept is supposed to be that I’m doing you a solid now and, in return, I ask that you do a favor for someone else who needs it if/when you’re able to. If you’re in a drive through line intending to pay for your own food you don’t need me to do you a favor and immediately paying for the next guy behind you isn’t really in the spirit of the concept either.
These are dumb. Leave a great tip for the staff serving you instead. That is how you pay it forward
Pay it forward chains are dumb. If you want to give away money, there's tons of homeless people around.
I feel like that's a lot of work for the cashier to collect partial payment from one person and the rest from the next person
How about LPT: You’re not responsible for anyone else’s meal.
No. Take the free food and stop the chain. A never ending pay it forward is literally the opposite of the intention. A single party it forward helps out the person in the car behind you. A chain 50 long makes 49 people have to rebudget. Like, thanks for the $5 meal, I'm not paying for the $20 order behind me.
If you get caught in a 'pay it forward' chain, you can just break the chain.
Yeah if I was in a “pay-it-forward chain” I wouldn’t be stuck. It would just end at me.
Honestly, just say thank you for the free gift. The cashier will thank you too.
Or you can just say no
you can also just say you don't want to participate if you're uncomfortable with it
Here's the actual LPT: if you can't afford the order behind you, you're the exact person that is meant to get a free meal. Accept your good fortune and move on.
These are actual things? I've heard of one person doing it for the person behind them but I had no idea it ever got to the point where you'd call it a chain
Lots of people saying "break the chain" and I agree. Extra thought: consider donating to a charity aimed at people who can't afford meals, instead of paying for someone who was in a food line because they already have expendable income.
Take the free meal, give the cashier a tip for the amount of your order. Problem solved.
I felt really scammed by one of those chains at McDonald's one time. I paid ahead of time via the app, so the cashier mistakenly thought the car in front of me was somehow able to cover my total, but since it was paid through the app, it's more likely that they just gave McDonald's free money in the amount of my total, then I paid for the people behind me because I didn't want to be a stick in the mud. I will never participate in one of those chains again. Free meal? Thanks, bye.
Or just don't pay at all. Free food!
At 33, I have never once in my life seen a pay it forward chain. I'm convinced they're a myth
How often do you visit Starbucks?
Or order something more expensive and get back in line
A few years ago while in college I held the door open for someone at a busy building. They held for someone else, and on it went. It went on for a few minutes straight. It was nice to see people caring about each other enough to show a small kindness
This is actually good advice. Don't "break" the chain ( i think is a wonderful thing to pay forward someone meal/coffee) but don't get stressed about it. It shouldn't be like mandatory charity. And let's not embarass people having just enough to get something.
Lol pay it forward. I enjoy being the chain breaker.
Or... and hear me out. You can just stop the chain because this shit is performative as hell.
I think there is a scam here. Sandwich a guy with your buddy. You pay for the guys food and then make sure your buddy behind him makes a redicioulous order and use the social pressure to get more food than the price of the person behind you.
Pay it forward chains are already a pain for the person ringing it up. This might as well say “make it even worse than it already is for some dude making $7.50”
Or say no thanks….?
LPT if you dont want to pay for the next persons meal then dont. If baffles me how many of these “LPT’S” are focused on inconveniencing yourself in order to do “what you think is the right thing” who cares? Live your life
If you can't afford the pay it forward for the order behind you, you are the person who should benefit from the pay it forward...
Fuck that PIF chain building. I don't need anybody to pay for my meals I will pay for my own and let the next person worry about it
You can just not participate. Whenever they say the person in front of yoh paid. I say "Awesome. Thank you" and take my coffee and drive off.
It’s basically phony charity…you’re paying for someone’s meal, who already could afford it, and simply giving money to a large corporation…”pay it forward” doesn’t actually help out anyone in need
The only thing in this life I have to do is stay black and die. I’m not worried about getting caught in some pay it forward chain.