10 April 2012
Standing in line at the store I waited patiently as the woman in line next to me paid for her cart full of groceries. She wanted to use a gift card she had on hand but it wouldn't swipe so she had to wait for the cashier to get a manager. I could tell the woman was in a hurry and was getting aggravated with the time it was taking to resolve the problem. Now, it wasn't the "I'm more important than you," type of aggravation but rather, "Good God, what else can go wrong today," kind of emotion. As the cashier finished transaction and handed the woman her receipt, it was then they both noticed the case of bottled water that remained unpaid under the woman's cart.
Her expression fell when she realized she was going to have to go through the process of ringing out again for just that item. I've seen people in the past go off completely on the poor cashier, demanding the item for free because it was missed, but the woman didn't react that way. I could tell from her expression she was at a mental crossroads. Pay for the water or just leave it behind. It was then I made a snap decision.
"Put her water on my bill," I said to the cashier. Both the cashier and the woman looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. Obviously I hadn't been clear. "Just put the water on the beginning of my purchases and I'll take care of it." Now mind you this woman had no idea who I was or why I was doing this. It took three rounds of "Are you sure?" and a very quizzical look from the cashier before the cashier finally scanned the water. $2.97.
As the woman thanked me (unnecessary) and headed out to the parking lot, the cashier still had a look on her face as to being unsure why I would buy someone else's item for them. I looked at the cashier, smiled, and said "$2.97 just bought three people something nice. " She looked at me again even more confused.
"The woman that just left, the next person she meets and can do something for, and the next person you meet and can do something for. To me, that's an investment with a great return."
Paying it Forward • Opuss № I