A Starbucks barista has been left in tears after receiving a heartwarming note and a wonderful gesture from a random customer.
Taking to TikTok to share her story, Courtney (who goes by the handle @dopaqueen715) revealed that she starts most shifts at 4:00AM each morning, and is proud to be a "loud and peppy" morning person.
On a recent shift, she revealed that a customer came into the store at around 5:00AM and was noticeably "struggling". Therefore, Courtney did her best to "get her smiling".
After revealing that she was successful, the woman left the coffee shop and Courtney continued with her shift as normal. That is, until the customer returned and handed a note to Courtney's manager.
When Courtney was handed the note, she couldn't believe just how significant her kindness had been.
The note read: “I travel a lot for work. That usually means late nights and very early mornings. I’ve been here for two days and so far you have been the only person I have encountered that has been genuinely kind. You were the first face I saw this morning and you really brightened my day.”
Reading the note from her car, Courtney continued: “I’m sure you are exhausted because... life, right? That’s all of us.
"But you deserve to know you made a difference in someone’s day today just by being kind. I’m also willing to bet you have a great sense of humor. Who doesn’t appreciate that? I hope you have the very best day. I know I will thanks to you.
“Treat yourself to something nice. I can tell you deserve it. Maybe just not coffee."
The note was signed from the “Groggy woman at 5:00AM,” before adding: “Do good in this world and it will always come back to you.”
As well as the note, Courtney also received a generous $200! Although this may not be much to some people, she explained exactly what this money meant to her.
Courtney had lost her mom back in June, and she had been dreading her first Mother's Day without her.
Admitting she has bills and debts to pay, Courtney had been hoping to somehow buy an urn she had been looking at in order to bring her mom home in time for Mother's Day.
Thanks to the $200, she now can.
"Thank you for the impact that you made on my life, and I hope that you see this and know that you did something that I will never forget," Courtney said.
After the now-viral video racked up 3.3 million views, TikTokers were also left in floods of tears.
One person commented: "I’m sobbing!! What a wonderful person! You both didn’t realize you needed each other."
Even the official Starbucks TikTok page responded to the video, writing: "You. Are. INCREDIBLE! Thank you Courtney for being a shining example of the power of kindness. We’re so proud to call you a partner."
Another simply reminded everyone: "You never know what others are going through. Be kind."
In a follow-up video, Courtney revealed that she has still been unable to track down the kind stranger, but she did receive a message from a kind woman named Dawn, who has agreed to match the $200!
However, Courtney admits she's not interested in receiving money from others - she now just wants people to "pay it forward".
