Gotta admit there is a certain percentage of me that feels like this is a way for the radio station to get their listeners to pay for guerrilla advertising for them. I have heard of this happening sans any marketing, or other corporate tie-in, especially in coffee shop drive troughs. 

If you are going to do it, fantastic, you are a stand up dude/dudette, someone willing to brighten up somebody's day, (someone once paid for my popcorn at the Free Range Film Festival) just leave off the advertising and everything is a-okay.

If it were me, I wouldn't have said anything at all. Going out of your way to announce to the recipient of your "random" act of kindness is akin to patting yourself on the back. In my opinion, of course.

Herb Bergson is a very good person. I know this to be true.

If you're so worried that it is a "gimmick" then take the 97.3 portion out of the letter and do the idea anyway. It'll make someone else in life happy! What's wrong with that?

Bruce, I don't think people are arguing that no one should ever pay for someone's coffee or drive-trough breakfast (Sam has an excellent point though), but rather if you have to write a note about it, and promote the radio station telling you to do it, it takes the edge off the act of kindness. Hell, for the cost of a coffee and egg sandwich the radio station now effectively has an ad on the front page of PDD. So it has worked out great for them. If the radio station wasn't so cheap they'd pay for a bunch of coffee directly and hand out bumper stickers with the free coffee, that would be good, and honest, marketing. 

Here is my challenge, go out and pay for someone's coffee, do it because you want to make someone's day brighter, that is a worthy goal in of itself. No notes, no corporate tie-ins, just you, your money and a desire.

Bruce -- when I saw "97.3" I didn't think "gimmick," I thought "I bet those fools think this makes up for shaming young ladies during what is surely one of the hardest days of their lives," on the assumption that those Christian radio people are all pro-life and so forth.  

I wouldn't know, though, as one of the few things more odious than pro-life politics is the music that Christian stations play.

No offense to anyone, but you would have to be pretty gullible to read that letter and not instantly realize the radio station was behind it.

Of course, they're a christian station, right? Makes sense that they'd expect you to fall for it.

If my minivan, kids and a $30 order were behind them in line, would they "randomly" choose someone else?

No it is not just PDD that would rip these folks on the "no gimmick" practice. Because it is a form of deception Jadiaz. Perhaps you are cool with it, and that is fine, but there are plenty of people who do not like it when they are advertised to in sneaky ways. I am one of those and you obviously think I am a fool and/or an idiot. 

The station paying for peoples meals and letting them know straight-up "hey we are paying for this," seems fine. Someone deciding to pay for the meal of the person behind them is cool. This? Whether it is the station outright paying for it and pretending it wasn't them, or someone needing to spread the word in a carefully lettered self-congratulatory spam like note, blech.

Mister Digits, personally I hardly find the music "odious" but in fact I find it to be "delightful."

I totally agree with Chad S, who said: "at least it gets the ball rolling." Random acts of kindness could be promoted here in Duluth -- it wouldn't hurt a darn thing and in fact might just make Duluth a better place to live.

I would however add, as my final comment on this act of kindness: "But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

Another issue for another day.

Edgeways, I never said that those against this are idiots, don't say you know what I'm thinking. I also never said anyone was a fool. All I'm saying in my posts is people like you, and some of the others, would find fault if they were handed a hundred dollar bill in my opinion.

No one was hurt here, the note never said it is a random act or suppose to be, it in fact very deliberately says this a push to start people doing acts like this. I say again, someone got their food paid for, if it were me, I'd read the note, crumple the note up, and eat my free food, not caring who paid for it, just thankful someone did. 

Would you complain Edgeways, if someone paid for your order and you received that note? Or would you be happy about a free meal? 

You made my point with your post, that for some people, they'll find fault with anything.

It's great they are encouraging people to be generous to others. Not sure that buying unhealthy food for people about to buy their own unhealthy food is the best, but anyway ... the problem is how the letter is written in a deceptive way, as noted above. "I heard 97.3 likes blah blah!!" Yeah, fuck if you did. Generosity is great, don't ruin it by insulting my intelligence.

It's public theater, designed to get people thinking without giving away the answers, because hey, maybe there aren't any answers. 

You know, I'm a Jesus-lover and I listen to the station sometimes.  I'm still not sure if I think this "Drive Through Difference is  a "good" idea or not, but it sure is interesting.  My favorite thing is that, here at least, it sure got people talking about how to be  neighborly  while not appearing  hypocritical.   Impossible, since we're all hypocrites but as many of you already stated, it's a good start.   

Gotta love the book of Matthew.

Timothy 2:11. Nice book.

Beatitudes should be the foundation on which people should actually treat each other.