At Starbucks and other establishments, there is a tradition of customers beginning a “pay it forward” train in which every customer in a line pays for the order of the person behind them. Recently a man uploaded a TikTok video in which he explained why he decided to end a 23-customer pay it forward streak after being asked to pay for the order behind him.
When a TikTok user named Mac pulled up to the drive-thru window, the cashier informed him that his drink had been paid for by the car ahead of him and also told him about the streak.
However, he told the cashier that he would not be paying for the order behind him, thus ending the streak.
In the video, Mac explained how he felt he was set up to fail by the workers at the restaurant.
That’s a pretty strong claim, but let’s see what he’s talking about.
Mac says he ordered a vanilla bean frappuccino with a couple of special instructions.
His order asked to replace almond milk with regular milk and add some caramel drizzle.
Mac says that he was set up to fail because while his drink only cost $6, the car behind him had an order that cost $46!
He was being asked to pay $40 more than he was planning to spend!
Online, there were a lot of folks with different opinions about this situation.
A woman who had a similar thing happen to her looked at the vehicle behind her and overheard their order. She knew it would be expensive and decided to end the streak.
Her comment brought up a fair point about how people have different budgets.
Not everyone who visits a restaurant can afford to pay for someone’s large order, as their budget might not allow for it.
It’s also said that Starbucks employees are not a fan of this practice either.
One can imagine how it can put them in an awkward position asking someone if they want to pay for another person’s order.
Angela mentioned how it might not be possible for someone to pay for the next person’s order and how it could make them feel.
Many folks only have enough money to pay for their own drink.
Another person suggested that folks instead tip the baristas instead of paying it forward.
Giving workers little extra shows just how much you appreciate them.
Another suggested paying it forward but only in the amount you planned to spend on your beverage.
You can watch the TikTok user’s video below.
What do you think about his situation? Should the man have kept the streak going, or was he right to end the streak?
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