Originally Posted by
saxman66
I was getting Starbucks and the couple in front of me started chatting me up in the line. They get to the front and order and they insist on buying me whatever I want. Cool! So I take them up on it, and simply order a normal coffee worth about $3. I thank them profusely, and even ask if they happen to be on my flight so I could perhaps make sure they get taken care of. Of course they aren't, but oh well. I tried.
So here's the TOTD: I'm at the table putting cream into my coffee while a Starbucks employee is refilling napkins and such and he says to me, "You know bro. When someone does something nice for me, I usually reciprocate and do something nice for someone else. That's how society works dude." It took a second to process what he was saying. What?! I realized by his tone of voice he was basically calling me out and saying I was a big jerk. What was I suppose to do? Buy coffee for the next guy, and then he do the same? When does it end? Do the next 20 people in line have to do it now, meaning someone is going to be the jerk eventually. Am I the tool for not buying coffee now? I'll admit it didn't even cross my mind. (queue Curb Your Enthusiasm theme)
There are some weird social experiments where people will do this and I think the napkin guy thought it was happening - usually with the "experiments" the people are told what the next order is and are given the option to pay.
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/..._winnipeg.html
In your case (well in any case) you did nothing wrong. I think these social pressure things are kind of silly. I have paid for probably hundreds of people's meals / coffees and tipped line boys generously in my life, but I did it because I wanted to and could, not because I was forced to or guilted into doing it, which kind of defeats the point. I wouldn't (couldn't) have done this when I was a student and in med school. I don't want a student or junior pilot paying for my coffee.
If the "next guy" just wanted something expensive for himself, then you would have suffered for this "generosity" which is not the point of generosity.
Just say thank you and move on, and be as generous as your circumstances allow in the future. You weren't the tool here.