A customer used the drive through at a Starbucks in Moline over the weekend. That person paid for his or her drink and the order of the person in the next car. That started a chain reaction of people paying for the next customer’s drinks.
Before it was all over, 160 customers took part.
I Stumbled upon this story, and while it is very nice that 160 people got free drinks and good feelings, what the heck was happening with the 160th person who didn’t pay it forward?
For me, that would be the real story. Someone who simply said, “Cool! Free drink!” and left it at that? Someone who was scrabbling for change to pay for a simple short coffee and who really needed the money? If so, why were they at Starbucks? A complete jerk who could care less about breaking the chain?
Exactly my thoughts: who’s that jerk? But then maybe it was time to close up shop. Or maybe there’s nobody waiting behind him/her.
See? I think about technicalities.
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..Puppet Building Live on the Web
Could be…I wonder if they told each person what was going on or if it just happened naturally.
I would hate to be that person! I would feel like a worm.
Margaret’s last blog post..Parenting pariah
But isn’t the whole idea of a chain worthless in itself? Until someone *doesn’t* pay it forward, no-one has actually been charitable. Essentially the first person in the chain bought coffee for the very last person, and everyone else was just doing business as usual.
Pacian’s last blog post..Monday Movie: In the Mood for Love
Margaret, I would too, but I think Pacian’s on to something…
It would have been nicer for someone to pay for everyone’s drink in line. Of course they would have needed deeper pockets than I have to do that!
Michelle, please note the change in blogs. I posted my last blog post on the teaching blog and have started this new/old one. Hope to see you visit every once in awhile. Take care!
Ken Albin’s last blog post..An Ending and a Beginning
Mathematically, yeah, the person who started it paid for the jerk at the end. The people in the middle basically didn’t do anything (not exactly, but with a margin of error, of course). However, people do it anyway. Look at White Elephant. Basically, you all come with something with approximately the same value (supposedly, anyway), and then you all go home with another. Who gained? Nobody (unless you are the jerk that brings a bad gift), but you do it anyway because it makes people feel good.
Then again, the jerk wins again. =P
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..Puppet Building 101
And there is always a jerk who brings a bad gift, too! Other scenarios where the jerk wins…the obnoxious guy who hits on a hundred women to get one date, someone selling useless ebooks to desperate people, being our state senator….
Jerks are successful all too often, and the willingness to take from others (or walk right over them) may be a reason why. And not caring what others think. That’s key.