From the Renewed-Faith-in-Humanity Dept.

[SiG Lady]

Usually I stow plenty of money in the wallet when I trek to the grocery store. Earlier in the week I came up $1.26 short for the little pile of groceries I intended to purchase and didn't really want to drag out the checkbook, hold up the cashier's time and customer line while writing a check... so I began agonizing about which item(s) I might have to put back on the shelf (which wasn't a happy thought because I needed each and every item I had assembled).

The cashier wouldn't let me do that. She digs into her pocket and hauls out a pile of loose change and pays the difference herself! I was untterly blown away. She just said pay her back when I come in the following week--which I will do, of course, with interest (or at least a hefty tip).

I've been shopping at this place for eleven years and the owners are really nice (and so are the checkers). Sometimes life is strangely reassuring.

[Dan Sierpina]

That does give us some faith that good people do still exist. Was the cashier the usual high school student? If she was, her parents deserve a "Well Done!" for their upbringing of their daughter.

[SiG Lady]

No, she's a little middle-aged lady who's even shorter than I am. A very nice person, yes, but I never suspected she'd pop for my little grocery deficit like that! No grocery checker has ever done that for me before--and I told her so.

[45 Raven]

It's those unexpected pleasant surprises that make up for about a dozen jerks. Kudos to the cashier and to you for appreciating it and sharing the story.

Ken

[3quartertime]

It's amazing how effective being nice is. The company I work for understands that more than any I've ever seen. In fact many of us will comment on the difference and share stories of previous employers that were much much different! The company does seem to try very hard to express value for it's employee's, but I tend to think it's the employee's themselves. Everyone seems to make an extra effort to smile and be pleasant. Small stuff like holding the door or leaving extra paper towel after you wash your hands. I think the employee's realize it's something special and they all strive to keep it going. Kinda neat...

[MARKAVELI]

That is awsome how some people at work go the exta mile.. Thats what keeps me comin back..

[colt22man]

I managed to be first in line ahead of a gal in a hurry, getting a drive up mocha, at a coffee chain place. Had I been at a walk up counter I would have yielded to her. I'm almost always ahead of schedule. I felt alittle bad so I just asked the drive thru gal what the female driver behind me had ordered, I treated her to her morning java/tea/mocha and was gone before she knew.

[SiG Lady]

I've been kinda waiting for an opportunity to do one of those kind of random acts.

We had a molehill turn into a mountain a few months back with a generous soul going around downtown Eugene "plugging" (feeding them with courtesy coins) parking meters for people. A City meter maid caught him and CITED him for interfering with administrative city business or some b.s. that no one bought. They arrested him and ultimately one of our local attorneys handled the case pro bono and got him off. The People rejoiced.

No good deed goes unpunished in Eugene, Oregon.

[Punkin Chunker]

I like it. What's cool too is the sharing of it -- it's kinda like ripples in a pond. Thanks.

I think check-out lines are one of those 'prisms of humanity' that you come across. Where people are channelled into narrow and scripted interactions, and if you make the effort, you can mentally step back and watch peoples' personalities pinball off of each other. It seems that most seem to try to maintain their bubble and hurry on, there are a few that cannot help but leave sore and raw spots as they scrape through, and there are a few that cannot help but spread sunshine.

I heard about the Eugene parking meter Samaritan -- it definitely fell into the YGTBSM department!

Edited November 6, 2011 by Punkin Chunker