Posted on 10/22/2013 10:43:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
IF you place an order at the Chick-fil-A drive-through off Highway 46 in New Braunfels, Tex., it’s not unusual for the driver of the car in front of you to pay for your meal in the time it took you to holler into the intercom and pull around for pickup.
“The people ahead of you paid it forward,” the cashier will chirp as she passes your food through the window.
Confused, you look ahead at the car — it could be a mud-splashed monster truck, Mercedes or minivan — which at this point is turning onto the highway. The cashier giggles, you take your food and unless your heart is irreparably rotted from cynicism and snark, you feel touched.
You could chalk it up to Southern hospitality or small town charm. But it’s just as likely the preceding car will pick up your tab at a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through in Detroit or a McDonald’s drive-through in Fargo, N.D. Drive-through generosity is happening across America and parts of Canada, sometimes resulting in unbroken chains of hundreds of cars paying in turn for the person behind them.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Ok...They really lost me at the idea of someone in Detroit voluntarily paying for my jelly donut
Yup. Detroit? Hilarious. They’ll probably pass forward my car then steal my meal. I guess the NY Slimes ran out of obama ass kissing stories for the moment so we’re stuck with this nonsense.
How many burgers are sold at chi fa la?
I had this happen a couple times at Starbucks drive-thrus. The first time I went along with it and paid for the latte of the lady behind me. The second time, noticing that the car behind me had about 10 people in it, I thanked the gal at the counter for me free drink and let the folks behind me pay for their own.
I have never had this happen to me ever before
At a Mickey D’s, the woman in front of me was short a quarter. I handed one to the Cashier and the Lady was speechless. It took her a few seconds to thank me because she was so flustered. (Over a quarter for goodness sakes)
I told her it either went to her or in the Ronald McDonald collection box.
I’ve made a religion of walking whenever possible including a 5mi round trip to the grocery every couple days. I always get an Arizona iced green tea for the return trip, and the store frequently has them buy one get one free. Love the reaction when I give away the extra one to the next person in line...sometimes they’re hesitant or even suspicious, but I always get a smile in the end.
Had a similar experience. Was in our local drug store, nice older woman in front of me was digging out change...pennies, nickles...for the last dollar amount on her purchase...I handed the clerk a dollar bill. The woman was shocked and very grateful at the same time. Ya never know when you can do some good. :-)
It sure as hell doesn’t happen in NYC
It does. I was listening to an Oregonian’s experience in NYC, and when he was telling me about this odd thing that happened, I was bracing for some horrible aspect of the city I’ve seen firsthand. But he told me that he was informed by the toll-collector of a bridge that the previous car had paid for him and whomever the next two through were.
If you want to be generous, then simply pay for someone’s food. Don’t manipulate them, obligate them, confuse them.
This is right up there with the new PC traffic etiquette where if you are on the right, and have right of way, it is understood by half the people that you will relinquish your right of way to the person on the left, who don’t have right of way. Of course the other half of time, the person on the right with the right of way follows the rules, and there’s a traffic snarl, or worse. Our great grandparents worked out this simple system for us, and we deliberately and with prejudice destroy it.
99% of people are to stupid to live.
I used to occasionally pay bridge toll for the person behind me, particularly if I was in a bad mood because it would make me feel better to commit a random act of kindness. Then I got a Fast Trak.
It was only three bucks, but still kinda cool.
NYT can’t get anything right. CHick Fil A doesn’t do burgers.
Had it happen to me at a DQ drive thru once, had no clue who did it. My son and daughter played on a tee all team together a few yrs. back and at seasons end the coach would pay for players ticket to take them to a minor league game. Parents paid their own way and for other kids. This happened at end of season and the coach told a couple of parents that a couple of players could not go because their parents had no money to go with them. My wife and I and another set of parents asked how many tickets those parents needed along with siblings and paid for them all. We specifically told the coach just tell them you had extra tickets. The parents and kids were thrilled to go along with their other kids. Never have told a soul until now. We did it every yr. our kids played tee all.
I’ve had people before me rob the cash register, though.
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