Conn. Starbucks Customers Pay it Forward 640 Times and Growing
Drive-thru customers still continue to pay for the person behind them.
Dec. 26, 2013 — -- New England Starbucks customers have certainly enjoyed the Christmas spirit -- about 640 of them and growing.
That's the number of people who have paid for the next person's coffee order at a Starbucks drive-through since Tuesday morning around 8 a.m., Christmas eve, a shift supervisor told ABC News this afternoon.
It's enough to make Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz believe in Santa Claus.
At the Newington, Conn., Starbucks location, as of 2:15 p.m. EST on Thursday, the number of people who have participated in paying it forward topped 640.
"I think it's awesome," said Nicole, the shift supervisor at the location, who is not permitted to give her last name per store policy. "I love this company so much and I'm so proud to work for them. This is what our company embodies. We're all really excited about it."
The transactions range anywhere from $5 to $20, and people can also contribute to a gift card that is also helping pay for the transactions of customers in line behind them.
When asked for the current balance on the gift card, the shift supervisor said, "It keeps changing all the time."
The ongoing acts of kindness seem to be blowing other drive-through records out of the water. Last week, Starbucks customers in Nevada paid it forward 73 times.
Read More: Nevada Starbucks Customers Pay it Forward for 73 Orders
Consumerist says the overall drive-thru record is at a Tim Hortons in Canada that involved 228 people.
Drive-thru customers at a Heav'nly Donuts in Amesbury, Mass., paid it forward 55 times earlier this year.