Stop “paying it forward” at Starbucks

I agree, random acts of kindness aren’t for those less fortunate they are for everyone.

I remember reading the story (or maybe was on the news) of a man that was in drive thru preparing to buy his “last meal” because he was upset with himself and the state of the world and the person in front of him paid for his order and he was so touched and thankful that a random stranger would do something so small but so nice he decided not to commit suicide. So you never know how your random act of kindness could affect someone. I’ll still pay for this or that for someone or do some sort of rak regardless of what others say.

I will keep on doing them, too. I just don't care for the whole, "now that someone paid for someone's drink at the drive through, it has to continue throughout the line," and you are made to feel guilty if you choose to not continue it. I hate that. I'd rather do random things for someone who isn't expected to do anything in return and made to feel guilty if they don't.

I do all sorts of small things all the time, and I would never want someone who I did something for to then feel obligated to pass it on right then and there. They may be inspired to at another time, and that is great. I hope that all makes sense.

OMG. The day the Taco Bell employee tells me it's ok not to pay for the person behind me I may just lose my ever lovin' mind right there. That is crazy to me! Does anyone else think it's just a total boundary cross for employees to be telling me how I spend my money is ok or not ok.

I'm deciding right now if I ever pull up and find out someone paid for me already, I would tell them I will pay for my own and they can give the money someone paid for me to someone else. It's a game I am just not going to play, and it's not being nice. It's being manipulative.
Sorry for those that think it's all kindness and sugar. It isn't. It's nothing more than telling me to do something I may or may not want to do. And frankly, I have enough pressures I don't need that at a drive through.

In all seriousness--YES!

I would rather have this any day over someone paying for my coffee.

--signed the one who ALWAYS FORGETS to bring a stinking quarter!!!!!!!

I think she could see the panic in my eyes because I could not afford to pay for their food and I'd never been in that situation before. So it was like "wtf do I do?" was plastered on my face. She was being kind.

I go in to order because I am a believer that they "always F&$^ you in the drive through," so I'll probably never get caught up in something like that. My college aged daughter has a rewards card at a coffee chain and loves when she qualifies for a free drink. I think she would be highly annoyed if she felt obligated to pay for people behind her when she was going to get a free drink anyway.

I only go once a year and sometimes it’s years in between. I wouldn’t keep it going if it was more than my iced latte. I don’t like the idea of it being forced. I also don’t go through a drive thru so it’s it’s likely to come up.

I like the idea of buying extra gift cards and just randomly handing them out.

My comment about the taco bell situation wasnt that I would lose mind AT the taco bell employee. I would lose it generally as I drove away.

It's not what the employee said. It's that she felt she had to say it. Does that make sense?

I have never heard of doing this either.

To me, the idea of “Random Acts of Kindness” means that when I am the recipient of a random act of kindness, I play it forward when a situation arises where I can perform a random act of kindness for someone else.

For example, one time while on vacation I needed to mail an envelope full of documents. I stopped at a small local copy shop and asked if they shipped things. The man said “no” but he weighed the package for me, put his own stamps on it and said he would take it to the post office with his own mail at the end of the day. He wouldn’t even let me pay for the stamps.

That was a true random act of kindness in my opinion. I’ve tried to play it forward when various situations arise where I can help people in small ways.