After having Spencer at home for a whole wonderful week, the kids and I drove him back to Harrisonburg this afternoon. Before dropping him off at his apartment, we stopped by the Harrisonburg Walmart that is right by campus, so we could get his cupboards and fridge restocked. It had been a long drive there and by the time we got to Walmart, I was more than a little antsy to get back on the road, so we could be home by dark.
We filled the cart with all sorts of overpriced convenience foods that I only rarely buy for our family, but are ideal for a busy college student who doesn't have time to cook. Half an hour later we wheeled our way to the long lines at the front of the store. We eventually found a checkout stand where it appeared that an order was just finishing up and we started unloading our cart onto the belt. It didn't take long to realize though, that there was some sort of dispute going on with the cashier and the customer. It was a young hispanic couple with a brand new baby. The tiny infant didn't look like he was more than a few weeks old. The young parents, speaking in barely understandable English, were trying to explain to the cashier that they thought that the cost of the baby swing they were purchasing was $40 cheaper than what it was ringing up for. I, in my haste to get home, quickly removed my items from the belt and moved to the next register over.
A few minutes later, as we were finishing checking out, I got to witness a little Christmas miracle…right there in the checkout stands of a small-town Walmart. By this time, the cashier had gotten louder and more argumentative with the young couple and was quite rudely telling them that there was no way that Walmart would ever mismark a price that drastically. Then when a manager came back and confirmed that the price was indeed $149 (and not the $109 that they thought), the cashier only a little too gleefully started in on an "I-told-you-so" retort to the family. The couple looked stricken and told the cashier, "Never mind," on buying the swing and started to walk dejectedly away.
That's when a ponytailed woman in sweats, three kids in tow, swooped in and paid for the swing with her own money. She did it quickly, gave the young mom a quick hug, wished them "Merry Christmas," and walked out just like that.
It was a beautiful scene that I will remember always.
************************
We filled the cart with all sorts of overpriced convenience foods that I only rarely buy for our family, but are ideal for a busy college student who doesn't have time to cook. Half an hour later we wheeled our way to the long lines at the front of the store. We eventually found a checkout stand where it appeared that an order was just finishing up and we started unloading our cart onto the belt. It didn't take long to realize though, that there was some sort of dispute going on with the cashier and the customer. It was a young hispanic couple with a brand new baby. The tiny infant didn't look like he was more than a few weeks old. The young parents, speaking in barely understandable English, were trying to explain to the cashier that they thought that the cost of the baby swing they were purchasing was $40 cheaper than what it was ringing up for. I, in my haste to get home, quickly removed my items from the belt and moved to the next register over.
A few minutes later, as we were finishing checking out, I got to witness a little Christmas miracle…right there in the checkout stands of a small-town Walmart. By this time, the cashier had gotten louder and more argumentative with the young couple and was quite rudely telling them that there was no way that Walmart would ever mismark a price that drastically. Then when a manager came back and confirmed that the price was indeed $149 (and not the $109 that they thought), the cashier only a little too gleefully started in on an "I-told-you-so" retort to the family. The couple looked stricken and told the cashier, "Never mind," on buying the swing and started to walk dejectedly away.
That's when a ponytailed woman in sweats, three kids in tow, swooped in and paid for the swing with her own money. She did it quickly, gave the young mom a quick hug, wished them "Merry Christmas," and walked out just like that.
It was a beautiful scene that I will remember always.
************************
I love stories like this. Helps restore some of my faith in humanity. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! I love it! Puts a big smile on my face.
ReplyDeleteWow. That story made my day.
ReplyDelete