Something for Nothing

Today was Starbucks' pastry give-away day. I went down as usual during my break to grab some caffeine, and the manager, Traci, offered me a free pastry. I decided to take just one little vanilla bean scone, a little three-quarter pastry that's quite tasty. She looked at me--"you just want one? You can have three, you know." I told her I did know, but that I didn't want to take advantage of what I think is actually a good company. Starbucks treats its workers well, is working on the fair trade thing, and is generally pretty socially responsible, all of which I love. Taking something for free just didn't seem right. Nothing is actually free; someone must produce it, the resources must come from somewhere.

In the mall, I often hear workers complaining that customers "just want something for nothing." If it's a bad company, as so many are, I don't really feel bad taking something for nothing--they don't use their money well anyway. But if it's a website dedicated to tackling hunger, a store devoted to paying third-world artisans what they deserve, or a coffee shop trying to make the world a better place, I just can't do it. I won't take their free shipping when it's offered, I'll buy something full price while I'm buying a clearance item, I'll get my usual mocha if they give me a free pastry. Instead of just paying less, I need to be taking less. If it's not something I can afford and don't actually need, I shouldn't have it. If it's worth having, I should be paying fairly.

Trust me, I still suck at this. I don't give to my local library, to Pandora, or to Google. A lot of places that help me a bit or make my life easier and more enjoyable don't get due credit from me. Slowly, I'm trying to put my money where my mouth is... I'm just thankful the world is gracious with me in the meantime.