Our family has been a “free stuff” kick lately. We had free ice cream last week, free comic book day, free samples at Sam’s, and I got my new free CamelBak.

Today, the streak continues. I stopped at a Starbucks drive-thru in Fort Oglethorpe. If you are familiar with the area, you know this is kind of a big deal. Fort O doesn’t even have a bookstore (independent or otherwise) but it has a Starbucks. It is a few months old now.

I pulled up to the intercom to make my order and wait for some greeting from someone.

And I waited.

And waited.

I even pulled out my cell phone to twitter about it. I was about to drive away (I had places to be people), when someone tentatively asked, “May I help you?” I gave my order, the voice gave me my total, and I pulled up to the window.

And waited.

Finally a young lady handed me my tall, iced, vanilla latte. As I extended my arm to hand her the money, she said, “Since you had to wait so long, you don’t have to pay.” She then went on to apologize and tell me no one had their headsets on to know I was out there.

Now, this seems like a crappy thing, and getting my drink for free did make up for it, but I want to let you know, this kind of thing happens to me at Starbucks all. the. time.

Once they made too much of the drink I ordered so they gave me two of the same drink. I didn’t want to drink both of them, so I gave the second one to a friend who was watching Fuller that afternoon. Another time they made two of the same drink for someone else and gave me my order PLUS the extra drink from the customer in front of me. And then there was the time I was up on Lookout Mountain and it was obvious they were very new, because no one knew how to make my drink. And when they did it wrong, I got my new one for free.

I don’t go to Starbucks that often, so to me, Starbucks is kind of like the “free drink” coffee shop. I just have to watch myself and not get my hopes up that it happens more often.

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