SUPERMARKET SURPRISE

Have you ever had your payment card declined? In public view this can be rather embarrassing. A Raglan friend of mine was in a supermarket queue. A man in front of her had his card declined 3 times as he tried to pay and he was increasingly mortified each time. She said to him, “Not to worry, I’ll pay for your groceries.” He was so surprised. A better word would be stunned. “You are so kind.” And the checkout operator added, “How wonderful. That’s such a generous thing to do.” My friend just smiled - such a thoughtful, generous individual. 
Paying it forward like that is not uncommon in New Zealand, especially in supermarkets. 
Another time, also in a supermarket an old man was shakily counting out his money for a TV guide booklet and didn’t have enough. “I’ll pay for it,” she quietly said to the checkout operator.  “Are you sure?” Another smile and a nod. The old man walked away mumbling a thank you. 
My friend also gives away her grocery promotion stickers to random customers so they can use them to get the things that they are saving their stickers for. 
In the introduction to my blog site (written over 3 years ago) I mention that kindness is often ‘doing the little things with a lot of love.’ As we all do our bit (and not always in supermarkets) we can change the worlds that we live in.


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