1) We weren’t allowed to accept tips when I worked at McDonalds.
2) I have had people literally in tears in my drive thru because someone ahead of them paid for their order. They went back through the drive thru and were able to get each of the kids their own burger. I had a homeless guy get an absolute feast that would last him several days because of pay it forward.
3) The majority of pay it forward recipients that I saw either turned around and payed for the next car (no net gain for them) or were clearly in need of the extra food. There was no in between.
Always pay it forward if you can, especially at fast food places. For some people it’s the difference between going hungry and having a full belly.
IMHO, Ivy Lou is a privileged idiot.
Okay but Starbucks and McDonald’s are two very different places, okay? Like McDonald’s is super cheap, easy for poor people to be able to afford, paying it forward is probably easier and a nice thing to do.
Starbucks on the other hand, Ivy Lou is usually right about. Like each drink is seriously overpriced. It’s for a “higher class” of people (I say this sarcastically). Like you could probably get three burgers at McDonald’s for the price of one Venti drink (idk I’m probably exaggerating) and also the Starbucks Employees can accept tips.
What I’m trying to say here is when it comes to “higher class” places like Starbucks or fancy restaurants, pay it forward to the employees, but when it comes to fast food, pay for the next person in line.
I can see both of these points, but I’m gonna jump in with a story:
Thuri and I live paycheck to paycheck. We struggle a lot. We barely make ends meet sometimes.
And sometimes, we need an indulgence. Like Starbucks. Sometimes we just desperately need that treat that makes the struggle feel worthwhile.
A few months ago, we were taking just such an indulgence–more than we could afford, really, but what’s one small coffee in the scheme of things, right?–and Thuri noticed the gas cap on the car in front of us was open. The line was moving pretty slow, so Thuri hopped out of our car, ran forward, knocked on the window of that car to let the lady know what she was doing (so she didn’t get freaked out by some random person approaching and messing with her car), closed the gas cap and came back. No big deal, just a nice gesture.
When we got to the window to pay for our coffee, we learned gas-cap car lady had paid $5 toward our purchase.
Not a huge gesture either, but it made our day. It legit did. And it DID help us out.
I guess my point is an act of kindness is never wasted. Even if it IS rich people taking care of rich people, it might inspire them to be more generous. It might inspire further good deeds by reminding people that there ARE those who can be selflessly generous.
And sure, maybe if you’re feeling like being altruistic, tip the barista too. But if you have no cash and want to throw something extra on your card, paying for the person behind you isn’t a bad thing. It’s still putting kindness and generosity into the world. And who knows what might come of it?
Be generous when you’re moved to be, and never assume what it might mean to the person receiving your generosity. You have no idea how badly they might have needed that gesture of kindness, Lexus or not.
Anxiety-prone-human 