Ever had a heartwarming experience at work?

[Lace Neil Singer]

As opposed to the usual soul destroying crap we all suffer thru?

One I remember; it was the day after the May Day Bank Holiday and I was struggling into work to do my double shift, having moved my hours to the Tuesday to enable me to go on the May Day Run with my boyf. That's basically riding on motorbikes up to Hastings; great fun, people line the roads and wave to you, and you wind up in a huge convey of bikes. I always ride on the back of my boyf's bike.

Anyway, I was feeling like crap cuz I hate working double hours, and it was busy as hell. Then these people went on my till and said, "Hey, we saw you up at Hastings yesterday!" Turns out they were up there too for the Run, and my boyf and I had briefly chatted to them. They recognised me cuz of my hair and we had a talk while I scanned thru their shopping about the Run. Really brightened the whole day for me.

[MystyGlyttyr]

When I was working at the candy store. It was a really slow night and I was by myself, and suddenly this guy comes running in, out of breath, face red and sweaty and panting. A woman is hot on his tail, looking panicked, and screamed that he needed something to drink. I didn't know what to do, so I poured the fastest Sprite ever and gave it to him, and she helped him to drink it down. I whipped a stool out of the backroom and gave it to him to sit, and handed the lady some paper towel to mop him up a little.

I can't remember exactly what they called it at the time (I was understandably excited and didn't really hear them), but I remember researching it later and it was essentially an extremely severe form of acid reflux that could have burnt up his esophagus damn bad within minutes. He had gulped his medicine but the flare-up was so severe and causing him so much pain that the cold soda was an immediate relief and helped him calm down and get through the attack.

The lady tried to pay me for the drink but I just waved her off on it, since the employees got all the free soda we wanted, I just chalked it up as a drink for me. I let them settle in for a while until he was all right, and then got a security guard to help them back out to their car so she could take him home.

Fast forward a couple weeks, it's a few days before Christmas and things are busy, but there's a temporary lull. My parents are sitting down a few feet away, waiting on me to be done so we can head home for the holidays, when this unfamiliar-looking dude carrying a bag with a radio station logo on it comes walking up to me. He introduced himself as a DJ with a local radio station (a big name guy I found out later), and reminded me of the prior incident. It was the dude, who I totally didn't recognize without him being in a state of panic.

Anyway, he came in to thank me for helping him out, saying that I had probably saved his esophagus because of the drink helping to wash down the acid, because his doctor had told him the attack was one of the more severe ones he'd seen. I was a bit put-off, I'll admit, because I didn't really know how to respond, but dude handed me the bag and said it was just a little thank-you present. There were three CDs inside for some artists I'd never heard of (and would never listen to, heh), but I was just amazed that this guy not only remembered me, but was grateful enough to make his way back and give me a present over something as simple as a free soda.

Very rarely, people do surprise you, heh.

[KuzcoLlama]

I don't really have gigantic heartwarming moments, but the coolest ones I've had were when I was recently volunteering at a science center for families. All interactive stuff. Sometimes I would be out front greeting people. The kids love it when you get excited and describe everything going on inside. The parents love it too. I just love the way their faces light up as if it were christmas all over again. So it's kind of heartwarming. Especially the one who came up to me (with his dad nearby) and pointed out the T-Rex skeleton we have inside and said, "Look! A dinosaur!" I just wanted to hug that kid right then and then. I didn't, mind you .

[Brighid45]

One of my favorite moments ever was back in my bookstore-clerk days. We had a deal with the local women's shelter that anyone staying there could come in and get a substantial discount on books and all the children's stuff. (We also donated a lot of stock to them too, just because we could.)

A few weeks before Christmas some of the shelter staff came in and got presents for a new family that had just joined them. They chatted with us (without revealing personal details) about how tough this woman and her kids had had it over the last year; an ex-husband had really trashed their lives and was intent on keeping it up. Well, apparently one of the customers ahead of them heard them talking and paid for their order, with instructions that any money left over be donated to the shelter. There was a LOT of money left over. And some other customers donated money as well. Gave us a bit of hope for humanity after all.

[Kiwi]

Ive posted this of previous boards but its about my favourite customer so your going to hear it again.

christmas, busy, mega mucho massively busy

12 hour shifts for an entire month with breaks long enough to stuff food into your gob but no longer (when your store only has 6 staff in total there is no one else to cover you)

helped a REALLY great guy for an hour, gift wrapped his entire christmas shop (well over $1000)

pushed one of the two carts needed to transport his gifts to his car,

Im absolutely beat, rings under the eyes, mussed up hair everything.

He opens the boot of his car and hands me a huge carton of strawberries, the ENTIRE carton was for me (I thought he was offering one strawberry to eat then and there)

not only that he insisted I stand there for a good ten minutes and eat the damn things while he was loading his car... said I needed them more than him

best and most caring guy ever! I wont ever forget that kindness

[crabbycabbie]

I pick up this lady from shopping...she tells me where she lives and we're off

We talk during the ride and she turns out to be a waitress at a restaurant downtown but as we're talking I notice her anxiously looking at the meter now and then...it's winter(in Wisconsin so it's COLD)and soon she says to drop her off at the curb...we're still about a mile away from her house

As I slow down I ask why...she says she only has enough money for a tip if she gets off here...going all the way will tap her out

I couldn't believe her...I liked getting tipped as much as anyone but there was no way I'd dump her off in the freezing weather just for a tip...I sped back up and took her the rest of the way home telling not to worry about it

That's heartwarming enough(the fact she was willing to walk a mile in the freezing weather just so she could tip me) but there's more to the story

A couple of months later I pick up a lady downtown(I cannot recognise faces(long story)) and it's the waitress from before..she recognises me though and this time she is just off work and has more money...she gives me a healthy tip for the ride and extra for the one before

You get a lot of jerks in that job...I've picked up people at million dollar homes and some of them don't tip but this woman was so worried I might think badly of her by not tipping she made a point to look for me so she could make it up to me

Meeting someone who is THAT nice is rare and the memory of it should be shared so on days when all you see are the SCs...it nice to know she is out there somewhere too

[Severen13]

Many moons ago I worked at a clothing store. In walks this little old lady and I happen to be the one to help her. She grabbed my elbow and started talking to me like I'm her best friend on the planet. She started telling me her life story about how she's 80 something years old, all her friends are getting old and dying, she wants to buy a pretty dress so she can look nice when she flies to Hawaii and visits her son. Unfortunately, this lady was very short and petite and none of our clothes would fit her. She's very understanding and gets ready to leave. On the way out she introduces me to her husband and tells him how I so nice and helped her out but she needed to buy a dress somewhere else. Her husband shook my hand and wished me a nice day. I still smile whenever I think of that lady and her husband.

If only more people were like that!!!

[Imogene]

I've told this story too many times to count on these boards, but...
(Short version this time)

At Chesterfield, one night, I had two gentlemen come in, look around, and found nothing they hadn't already seen. As I'd been checking up on them every thirty minutes or so, they asked me for movie recommendations.
I told them, flat out, "BrokeDown Palace has the most jaw-dropping, break your heart ending you'll ever see. You'll absolutely never forget it. And I know we have one in the store, as I keep eyeing it to pick it up for myself." I went and grabbed it for them, to save them the time it would take to search for it, as one of the gentlemen was blind, and the other was apparently a friend of his, helping him find movies. So, I placed the movie in their hands, and told them they absolutely had to see it. I ring their purchase, they go for the night.

A few weeks later, the store is dead slow, and a gentleman (whom I didn't recognize when he came in) came in and found me and said, "Your recommendation was perfectly straight on. That was an amazing movie. Thank you."
It took me a bit to remember what I'd recommended to him, and realised he had been the gentleman escorting the blind guy around a few weeks before.