While in the drive-thru line at my local Starbucks today, I noticed the lady in the car in front of me peer through her left rear-view mirror a little more than the usual looks one gets from others eagerly awaiting their morning caffeine fix. Didn’t think anything of it and continued to think about everything I was planning on doing today at work.

She eventually got her drink, paid for it, left some of her change in the tip jar, and drove off. As I rolled in, the lady I get my coffee from (almost every morning) had a bigger smile than usual. She said the car in front of me paid for my order and handed me the goods. I was caught off guard and completely surprised but we both agreed that was a very nice thing for her to do. As I drove off, I was amazed at how such a simple gesture can totally make someone else’s day.

I did a quick search and ran across this post on Starbucks Gossip that links to others who have similar “pay it forward” experiences. However, it also talks about the doubt around the stories and how they might be Starbucks’ PR efforts. I can’t speak for others’ experiences but it definitely happened to me today. I’ll be paying it forward soon as well and I’m dissapointed that I was too surprised at the time to keep the chain (which I’m really pretty sure was just a chain of one at that point) alive today.

And, to the lady in the red Ford Mustang, thanks! You made my day.