Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Pay it forward? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by aliciacary1
Good morning! I went to my local Starbucks this morning for a tall plain iced coffee. When I got to the window the employee said the person in front of me paid for my order. I was really surprised so I said thank you and left. In hindsight maybe I should have asked to pay for the car behind me but I intentionally order small inexpensive drinks to save money. This is a 1-2 times a month treat for me. How awful should I feel for not just paying for the car behind me? I pay with the app so I just tried to see if I could leave a tip but because I didn’t actually pay I don’t have the option. I also didn’t have cash on me. I do plan to use the $ I would have spent today as a tip next time I go. How do you feel about customers doing this?
jessstress 75 points 2y ago
Pay it forward chains honestly are a pain in the butt for us to do, so don't feel bad for not keeping it going. As a barista, I would always love tips rather than doing a pay it forward, but it's your money, do what you want with it!
aliciacary1 [OP] 33 points 2y ago
I would definitely rather tip! After working as a waitress I’m a stickler for tipping. Thank you for your perspective!I didn’t realize these chains were so much extra work for you guys.
Tha_jphil 5 points 2y ago
Whenever a pay it forward happens when I’m on window, I very quickly say “the person in front of you paid for your order, so here’s your items and enjoy this gift today!” So they don’t feel obliged to continue the chain and I can get the orders back on track 😅
FfierceLaw 44 points 2y ago
Noooooooo! Just take the gift. Puh-lease take the gift. Your barista on window does not want to deal with that. If you feel guilty, tip Starbucks. We share it equally by hours worked and some rely on it for gas money to get to work.
aliciacary1 [OP] 11 points 2y ago
Thank you!! When I got to the window she initially tried handing me some other persons order so I wondered if this kind of thing caused extra confusion. Will definitely just leave a tip next time.
FfierceLaw 17 points 2y ago
yes it can be confusing especially if it's still going on and we change partners on that POS. Plus I CRINGE when someone who got their $5 drink paid for wants to do it and the car behind them has a $21 order, and this could very easily or even probably will happen. SAHM behind you has plenty of $ for her order, she got into the line voluntarily, your baristas are scraping by. Plus my management is very generous with discounts/freebies when we make an error our are out of something. I got to give a 50% discount to a lady who had just gotten her husband out of the hospital, he was an amputee sitting next to her. They both looked sick and exhausted. She was sooo grateful
aliciacary1 [OP] 4 points 2y ago
Oh wow! It’s awesome that you’re able to do that for certain customers.
MatchingColors 24 points 2y ago
As a partner my opinion is biased, but honestly if you pay for the car behind you but don’t tip us at all, that feels like a slap in the face. Also if someone pays for your stuff, I say take it and run!
dazedandconfusedhere 18 points 2y ago
The pay it forward chains don’t benefit multiple people - still only one person benefits from it (the last person)
aliciacary1 [OP] 13 points 2y ago
That’s a really good point! Everyone else probably gets stuck paying for more than they planned.
dahmerpalms 15 points 2y ago
Customers who just appreciate their free drink and drive off are my favourite. Maybe on pay day you can do it for the person behind you, but I don’t think pay it forward always has to be money
Mow your neighbour’s lawn next time you’re already doing yours! Or tell someone their tag is showing out the back of their shirt. Kindness doesn’t have to mean paying for a 6 dollar latte :).
Mow your neighbour’s lawn next time you’re already doing yours! Or tell someone their tag is showing out the back of their shirt. Kindness doesn’t have to mean paying for a 6 dollar latte :).
jemappellepatty 10 points 2y ago
As another customer of 1 and former barista, don't worry about it. I also only ever order a small cheap drink (if I'm getting for the office I go inside), and never buy for the car behind me. I can't afford to take the risk. What if its an office order, or a car full of teenagers getting Frappuccinos, or some other expensive order? I just want my iced americano thanks. If I'm feeling expensive I get 2 pumps of cinnamon dolce.
Enjoy the generosity of the car in front of you. Its not meant to make you feel guilty.
Enjoy the generosity of the car in front of you. Its not meant to make you feel guilty.
aliciacary1 [OP] 5 points 2y ago
Thanks for sharing! Not feeling bad anymore. 😊
FlippinAsian 8 points 2y ago
Take your drink and run! Once or twice I’ll intentionally break the chain and tell them our computer system is down just so I don’t have to deal with the chain anymore. It screws up the queue of drinks on our screen and a real pain to deal with.
rio8envy7 6 points 2y ago
Not a pay it forward fan. Like I understand the sentiment but it’s annoying and a pain in the ass.
rosesandthorns17 4 points 2y ago
omg no you’re a blessing
fuhhh83110 0 points 2y ago
When I worked for corporate Starbucks I would always suggest paying what they would've paid for their order to the car behind and when the next car came up I would let them know the car in front paid for part of their order. It was my way to keep the pay it forward going on but not making someone feel bad for saying no for paying an order more than their would've been. If that makes sense.
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