CG, let me explain. I was a department head (120
subordinates) at a large govt-owned facility (3500
employees), and had a chance to recommend someone
for a job in another department when he was being laid off
from his "present" job. he had worked for me in the past
and done a super job. *and* I was close friends with
the hiring department head. my recommendation put
him over the top, in comparison with other contenders.

I kept it quiet, to avoid his feeling indebted to
anyone -- it was generally known that he was an
excellent employee, yet he is a very quiet and
reserved person who does not toot his own horn.

he moved to the new job and did great there, also.
he helped to save another department head's
butt, as he helped to save mine more than once! -- j

But what if they wanted you to buy someone else's?

"It's unwarranted guilt"
I've heard this thing about people making them feel guilty, but I have this odd trait that I don't even detect it. If someone bought my coffee I probably wouldn't give it a second thought.

"I got a chance to save a guy's job once, when he had worked for me and was being laid off ... with the provision that I remain anonymous. "
It sounds like this guy would have wanted that, so you did something he would approve of he knew.

*I* would not want my job saved. If my client/employer isn't excited to be working with me, I'd rather go find someone who is. If they're thinking, "I guess we could keep using CG even though we have a guy on oDesk who does basically the same thing for less," I want to be gone. Someone else out there is working an oDesk guy saying we really need someone who can do XYZ. It's a waste of their money, the potential new client, and my life to receive business as charity.

I know not everyone thinks this way. I have no problem with your doing this favor for someone who wanted it. I would probably do the same thing b/c I generally like to be helpful and nice.

I got a chance to save a guy's job once, when he
had worked for me and was being laid off ... with
the provision that I remain anonymous.

he's a great guy; it's a great feeling! -- j

I wonder if the irs will be interested in seeing their 'pay it forward' receipts... how do they even get the amounts to jive... is this the telepathic coffee drinkers club or what?

We are not in a war to gain the "approval" of idiots caught up in some feel good scheme. Let the negative responses fly.... who cares. One should pay for what THEY ordered. What's to find negative about that? Hmmm, How about we corner the Barista and find out what she did with that 100 dollar tip. Did she use it to pay the line forward until it ran out, because, apparently, that's the only decent thing to do with money in your pocket at Starbucks. Giving that tip made zero sense..and it completely contradicted the point he was attempting to make...he underminded himself. And then wrote an article about it.... ?

Peter Schorsch is a hero! the guilt-ridden taxpayers
thank him for the statement -- coercion is force, and
the IRS is the universal master. it's like BHO giving
the enemy 5 for one, just to be nice -- will we ever
get our other 4? NO -- j

p.s. just like our fair share of United Way -- which
the company used as a measure of employee
loyalty. I gave privately and at work ... oh well.

I learned njalbinding the same way. I was on a tour of the Smithsonian and through a crowd I saw 2 costumed (Norse) women doing njalbinding. I burst through the crowd like an alien from a host's peritoneal cavity, plopped myself down at their feet and exclaimed, "Njalbinding! I have read about this and really want to learn how to do it! Teach me!" They responded with a big grin and a handful of wool yarn. I ended up going home with them for dinner for further lessons.

Jan, heavy on enthusiasm

That sounds like something I would do... if I felt that strongly about the pay it forward thing. I didn't even know it was becoming "a thing", but if I did I'd probably be annoyed enough to do the same thing.

Well done!

Jan

That was a truly elegant touch. The war of ideology we are in is not for the approval of a single barista. By this act he defused a lot of the potential negative responses to his excellent deed - and may have made a dint in someones liberal armor. Look at the article, the blog, and this discussion: what he did is not for the happy barista who happened to be on duty.

Jan

My answer would have been, "I pay for my own drink. My own drink - period. What the other scumsuckers in this line choose to do is their own problem. Here is MY money for MY drink. Fair exchange."

Grrrrr.

Jan

I usually wear a Vietnam Veteran cap when we casually go out. One evening in a McCormik & Schmick's a young group acknowledged me and bought us a round of drinks. I found out they were Iraq Veterans, we talked briefly, I thanked them, and on the way out I picked up their entire tab not saying a word. It made me feel great. Now on occasion I'll walk through an entire restaurant looking for another vet just to pick up his tab, and instruct the server to simply write "Paid, Thank You for Your Service" on their bill. It's a real kick for me, makes my whole day.

Can I point the obvious? Drinks at Starbucks cost from ~$1.70 to $8.00. Maybe it would work at $tabucks in USSR?

Right b/c it breaks down as soon as there's a break in customers. When a break comes, they can say, "the guy earlier paid for yours," but they can't ask him to pay for the next guy b/c they don't know how much he will order.

I don't. It tastes burnt to me. I prefer Farmer Bros.

I was in my 20s and starting my first real job with low pay and a super tight budget when some religious group mailed a donation request with a couple of coins and a photo of someone worse off than me.
I was all "Oh, no. They at least need these coins they sent me!" Guilt drove me to come up with a donation. As this manipulation ploy was repeated, it did not take long for me to resent it. I started to keep the coins with some twinge of conflicted guilt.
Now retired and 67, I've evolved into a mean ole' dino who snorts contempt as I keep such guilt trip bribes. Three months ago, I as a Tea Party member was stunned to see the Tea Party send me a dollar with a donation request. It was only because the Tea Party supports causes I strongly believe in that I placed a stamp on the return envelope, sent back the dollar and wrote on the donation multiple choice: "Send me another dollar to manipulate me like this? I will keep the dollar and throw the rest you see away." Then I signed my John Hancock to it.
Just waiting to see if that crap is tried again.

It's unwarranted guilt. None of us are perfect, we all have accumulated things we can feel guilty about. Then we rectify the guilt-thing and move on. But this Starbuck's thing is continuous guilt for the sake of being guilt. When libs can't make themselves feel good by doing a good deed, they make one up so they can say what a good person they are. It's stupid and childish, unless, of course, you are a child.

The drive up guy was probably laughing his way to the bank on that gimmick. First, pocket the overage for the $5 (see my other post) and *then* get some guy who does the stand-up thing, who then is guilted into giving a Franklin for a tip?

It's all a scam as big as the IRS... and if Starbleech's condones this, I think I'll take my double-mocha-half-caff maple-hazelnut frappucino, dry and tight half soy half skim sugarfree syrup business elsewhere...

Right! And pass the pay-it-forward baton to the next person. I like you input.

I am 200% behind this breaking of the wah-wah socialist crap that this moocher opportunist "barista" (why not call them Espresso-nistas? Or better - Coffee Pourers...) came up with.

Sure, sometimes I'll pay the bridge toll for someone behind me, I've even paid for a cup of coffee (not some schlocky $5 drink) for someone behind me IF I DECIDE TO DO SO... but had I been approached by the window server to do that, I would have told him to go blow it. And called corporate.

What I bet - it was a racket. The rare occasions I do a drivethru coffee thing, I get a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso. That's it - no fritz, no foam, no expensive syrupy blender drink. Costs all of $1.75 (actually a buck and a half locally). So where does the other 3 and a quarter go? You betcha... right into the moocher's pocket. Laughing all the way to the bank.

And I bet he didn't even feel guilty about it...

I agree 100% with what he did and the logic behind it. I hate people trying to put a guilt trip on me.