/ 22 December 2007

Starbucks customers spread Christmas cheer

One woman’s kindness to a fellow Starbucks patron resulted in more than a thousand others spreading holiday generosity in one north-west Washington town in the United States.

A regular patron had paid for the person in line behind her a few times before, according to the Everett Herald newspaper. But on Wednesday, her good deed set off a chain of 1 013 customers paying for the next person’s drink.

Many coffee-shop patrons tacked on an extra $10 or $20, which shift manager Sarah Nix said Starbucks will donate to its holiday toy drive.

The seemingly spontaneous run of generosity ended on Friday morning, a store employee said. The name of the iced-tea drinker who started it was unknown. — Sapa-AP