Had a kind of similar experience last Mon. I went specifically to Walmart because they have the sparkling water I drink $2 cheaper than Whole Foods. All I had was four 12-packs in my cart so I went to the 20 or less line. There were two open and about 7 or 8 in each line. I picked one and it became clear that I chose poorly...My line was not moving at all and the other line was chugging along.
As I looked around the folks in front of me, I saw an elderly woman (probably late 70's or so) in a bright red coat looking very embarrassed and upset. About that time a woman came in behind me with two heads of cabbage. "Is our line moving?", she asked. "No, I think there is a price check or something but it hasn't moved since I got here!"
As she and I continued to stand there, it became evident that the woman was actually having the checker individually take things off her ticket. The 7 folks in front of me, all men oddly enough, began jumping ship to the line next to us. Once one of them made the move, the remainder jumped ship!
So I moved up and realized the elderly woman was in fact having a hard time paying for everything that she had put in the cart. For some reason it tugged at me and I told the cashier, "Ring up what she has the money for and then add the remainder on my tab." The customer looked over at me and gushed thank you so much.
When all was said and done (she had a $50 Walmart gift card), the addition to my tab was $14 and the lady behind offered to pay half (but it was a small amount so I declined). When the little lady had all her things, she turned and said, "Thank you so much. I am having surgery tomorrow and I was getting food to make sure I had things when I come home this weekend."
You never know, could be me one day in that line alone...
I think Mutt that there are still folks out there who care and are willing to extend to others but perhaps there aren't as many? Seems folks make a big deal these days when you help others. It kinda takes the lesson of empathy out of the deed. It's' not for how it makes us feel or the kudos we receive, it's about how we affect others. It's a lesson I started with my children when they were toddlers...good deeds for rewards now or in the big hereafter are empty -- it's about how our words and actions impact the world around us.
Sharon