....the person in front of you in the drive-thru pays for your order? It caught me off guard, but should I have paid for the person behind me? Tipped the workers instead? Just say that was nice and thanks (which is what I did)?
The few times its happened I've just passed it on and payed for the person behind me. Unless it's a crewcab full of dudes on the morning coffee run lol.
Yes. That's the point. Keep passing on the kindness. One little act of kindness could just change the trajectory of that persons day/week/life. You just never know.
Timely thread. In the last couple months I've had it happen 4 times at my local dunkin dognutts. The first two times I was pleasantly surprised and not sure what to do. The third time the person at the window asked if I'd like to pay for the person behind me. I said thanks, but not today (same answer I give when the cashier solicits a donation at the grocery store). So yesterday, I go there and the chick in front of me gets handed a coffee, pays with a $20, gets her change and then there is a convo and she gives the person $12 and gestures to keep the change. I'm like no f'kn way I'm getting hooked up again. I pull up and the girl says $11.46 sir. ( I had the $12 ready) I stuttered for a second and the girl started apologizing, over and over again and said the lady in front of me paid for my meal. I'm 100% sure if I had not been paying attention the cashier woul have pocketed the $$
I've done it a few times, but only for cops in cop cars behind me. Then they give me a head start and I lose them. Well, sometimes, at least.
I only did that once. Whole table full of WW2 and Korea vets at a Cracker Barrel one day we were on a road trip. Had their waitress bring me every ticket and paid them out and left. Got to thinking about it later, I betcha those old dudes could eat for free there 7 days a week! LOL They paid already, though. They paid.
Pay it forward either by paying for the next person behind you or randomly within the next week, paying for the car behind you. I tried to do it at least once per week before the Rona shut us all down.
Shortly after 9/11 seven cops were having breakfast at a diner when the wife and I stopped in to eat. Told to waitress to take 50 bucks off their bill and add it to mine...anonymously. When they got up to pay and leave they thanked the folks in the diner and most everyone clapped or smiled back. My how times have changed.
I personally don't like it. It almost feels as if I am being forced to give a donation. That isn't a good explanation. I don't know how to explain it. It is sorta the same feeling I get when I pay for something, and they say "would you like to round up to the nearest dollar and donate to.....". You kinda feel obligated to do it, but it is aggravating that they asked. Even that doesn't really make sense. I know the feeling I am thinking about, I just don't know how to explain it. Basically, I just don't fucking like it. Let me pay for my shit and be done with it.
I completely get what your saying. About a year ago I go to the Chinese buffet I hit once a week. I eat lunch at 11am on the dot every day so I'm usually the first person there. I rode my bike and it has a Coast Guard license plate. Another guy comes in while I'm eating and I don't pay much attention to him. I eat slow as shit so he's gone before I'm done. When I go to pay, the lady says the man that was here paid for my meal. I guess he saw my license plate. Fro some reason I felt weird about that. I'm one of those people that if you give me dollar I'll give you two. Just the way I've always been. I guess it was so odd because I couldn't return the favor. Yes, I know all about the Pay It Forward, but I wouldn't be paying forward to the person who did me a solid. I realize this all sounds goofy as hell but that's just me.
This sounds like a great way to scam people, I've never heard of a cashier asking if you want to pay someone else's bill. On a related note, my SIL was over last week for my birthday. He's been on-duty with the guard for awhile doing covid swabbing. He's stopped patronizing the coffee shop near his house because they made a big deal of giving him his order for free everytime he went in in uniform and he felt embarrassed.
This used to happen all the time down here at Chic-fil-a. I think the longest streak was 7 hours. Don't be the guy that breaks the chain.
Say thanks and don't be a dick in day to day life. Know the @#$# that pulls in the spot next to your bike and almost hits you in the !@#$? Just let it go. It is not all about $$$