An easy way to end that line is to tell the next car “hey it’s on us today” and the whole pay-it-forward line ends right there and they usually tip then too

THIS

They legit sit there at window and watches us suffer, but rather than tipping their baristas they decide to pay for some random person who probably has more than enough money if they’re buying coffee at starbucks

This whole pay it forward is a massive middle finger to all the baristas working minimum wage and shows how little society thinks of us

Yep this makes me so irritated. I've had people pay it forward to me when I visit other stores and I always give the $ I saved from my order straight into the tip jar (plus my actual tip)

Agreed. I get the sentiment behind the gesture. It’s doing something nice for someone else and I don’t think it’s a the person can’t afford it as much as it is doing something nice for someone else. Like spotting the bill for a friend when you go out. It’s supposed to come across as a good deed.I think a lot of people do it for the stars too.

What do I do as a customer when this happens? It feels so dumb but I don’t want the free drink (I would feel like an ass taking it and stopping the line)

Do I just accept my fate and continue the cycle?

Good point and nice comment.

I had one of these pay it forwards going today and about 4 or 5 in the customer was a partner. I BEGGED her to just accept the gift and use her mark outs for something else, but NO, she paid for the next. You'd think a partner would understand. Plus technically she's probably not supposed to use her mark outs for someone else like that.

eeeek yeah

is the edward guy... robert pattinson???

I mean I can kind of understand that because at that point they're literally just trying to exist. Like shit 12 shots?? Probably a college student or a doctor. Those seem to be the ones who get crazy high caffeine drinks.

What the hell are you getting 12 shots for??

God bless you I would do anything for you if you came in my store.

This happens a lot where someone feels they cut someone else off or may have been driving aggressively and realized they’re in front of them in line and pay for their drinks lol. I’ll just tell them the person ahead of them didn’t see them and hoped paying for their caffeine can be accepted as their
“Sorry”. I divert the conversation so the person behind them isn’t even considered.
I’ve known some folks who treat themselves to a pricey SBuX drink to make themselves feel better about life. When humans get depressed, we like to buy new clothes or shoes. For some that can’t afford that, a $6-7 TikTok drink is more in line with their finances. Some actually have a sbux fund where they save up each week for their next drinks. It’s kind of crazy but in the scheme of things, there’s much worse addictions/dependencies to have.
I’ll admit being a customer before a partner, I frequently visited my nearest sbux twice a day. Thankfully, my company paid me back for it because it was considered a food expense, but when someone paid it forward and I was the recipient, it absolutely made my day! So I guess my point is that it makes people’s days. They may not show it to you, but that person feels better than when they arrived, guaranteed.

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