The next time you’re at your favorite coffee shop taking a mid-day break, take a peek in your wallet and see if you have an extra few dollars. You may just start a chain reaction like this woman, whose random act of kindness extended well beyond the complete stranger she initially targeted.
It all started when the woman pulled up to a Starbucks drive-thru in St. Petersburg, Florida, just like any other customer.
Then, whether pre-planned or spur-of-the-moment, she made a decision that affected not only the person directly behind her but the nearly 400 customers who followed during the next 11 hours.
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At around 11 a.m. she ordered an iced coffee, then paid for a caramel macchiato for the driver behind her. When that person pulled up, the delighted barista explained the concept of paying it forward.
The torch passed on from one person to the other throughout the day, serving as a reminder that everybody was connected by not only their love of coffee and Frappuccinos but as humans. Because who doesn’t love it when someone does something nice for us, especially a complete stranger, and who doesn’t love reciprocating in kind?
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“It’s nice just to do a random act of kindness for someone you don’t know,” said 19-year-old St. Petersburg resident Tim Burnside. He visited the Starbucks where it all started that morning, and even returned later in the day to see if the chain was still going strong.
The chain was finally broken around 6 p.m., when the 379th customer pulled up and ordered a regular coffee. The barista explained what had been happening throughout the day and asked if she’d like to participate, but the customer was apparently confused by the concept and declined.
But another chain started the very next day — and that one involved more than 700 customers!
Linda Mills, a Starbucks spokesperson, said these random acts of kindness are fairly common: People tend to come there relaxed and ready for a mid-day break, “so they do want to extend it to somebody else in their community.â€
They want to pass it on. And for us, it’s super exciting to watch and we’re humbled that people would do that in our store.
Watch the video below to hear more about this incredible chain reaction, and share to encourage others to perform random acts of kindness!
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