There are thoughtful people in this world!

[DesignFox]

Quick but good. I thought our holidays could use a little cheer- what with all the suckiness happening around us. I encountered a very friendly and courteous woman at the grocery store the other day.

I went to go checkout. I had 3 items. There was a woman in front of me who had quite a bit of stuff...but not a massive amount by any means. As I walked up, she had just let a gentleman in front of her because he only had a pound of meat to buy, and she did not want to make him wait. When I walked over, she told me that I could go ahead of her as well!

She said that we had much fewer items than she did, and she was paying with cash and felt like she might take forever, that she'd prefer not to make us wait. The three of us ended up chatting briefly as we were cashed out, and wishing each other all a Happy Holiday. (our cashier was not too chatty- but we did not by any means ignore him, either!) Smiles all around.

I haven't seen someone be that thoughtful in a very long time. It gave me the warm fuzzies.

[RammsteinGirl]

That's a great story. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen often enough. I see it all the time when I'm working checkouts at Kmart. I'll have no one in my lane, and I'll see someone in the next lane over who's been waiting a while behind another customer and I'll tell them to come around and I'll take them. Never fails that another customer will rush into my lane at the same time. I'll tell them that there's another customer coming from the next line over who's been waiting a long time and they'll just give me a blank stare and not even offer to let the other person go ahead of them. And I hardly ever see anyone letting someone with less items cut ahead of them in line. No manners at all!

[myswtghst]

I love when this happens, however rarely it does. I had the opposite happen the other night Heading into Chipotle to get burrito-y goodness for dinner, I park next to a woman, who literally jumps out of her van, runs past me into the restaurant, and jumps on line ahead of me. I have to wait while they make her multiple items, as I, on my dinner break from work, have only one thing to order. Wish more people were so considerate.

[ShinyGreenApple]

I had several of those types of customers in my service desk line today. If they knew they were going to have my attention tied up for a while with Lotto or returns, they kept letting people cut ahead of them until the lines died down. And the other day, I guess I had the obvious "On break" look, and a lovely customer let me go ahead of him in the express so I could buy my sandwich and tea ^_^

They seem to be out to prove that good people do still exist.

[AnqeiicDemise]

The most thoughtful thing that happened to me occurred almost two years ago.

For some reason, my pin-number no longer worked with my atm card, I had no cash and I figured I could always pay with credit as long as I provided my ID. I was wrong. Of course, I didn't find this out until after I had already ordered my food at the local KFC.

Needless to say, I was upset, tired and hungry. I had no food at home and the nearest supermarket was two miles away. The cash dilema got to me as I needed cash to take the bus or cash to buy ramen at the convenience store (their atm machines were broken). I was stuck.

I apologized to the cashier and headed toward the door.

A gentleman stopped me and said I had forgotten my food. I looked at him all bewildered like and said "No, I didn't. I didn't have cash on me."

He just smiled, winked and said again "But you forgot your food, darling." Then, he handed me the bag and a drink. Once more I'm surprised as I had just ordered the wings, no meal, because I was strapped for cash anyway.

The cashier kind of waved her hand at me when I turned to question her as if to say it was okay. Turns out the gentleman had decided to play Kris Kringle in February and had not only picked up my tab, but turned it into a meal for me.

I cried. It was so sweet.

And the only thing he asked of me? To pass the favor on to whomever needed it whenever I could.

[Jack7957]

Saw this in the newspaper the other day...

Secret Santa

[wagegoth]

It's easy to forget that, if most people weren't decent, this world would have degenerated into the world of Thunderdome long ago. Maybe we're on the way, but maybe we can still turn the tide.

[Seshat]

I believe we can. I believe that both misery and joy can be contagious.

If you cut people off in traffic, tailgate, and generally make an ass of yourself on the road, you raise other drivers' stress levels and risk leaving a trail of minor accidents behind you.

If you let a person into a busy line of traffic, stay a courteous and safe following distance behind the car in front, and generally drive predictably and safely - even generously - you don't raise stress levels, and maybe even ease stress levels.

If you treat the cashiers you deal with as people with their own rights and feelings, you might ease their day enough that they can handle other customers more easily. Maybe even let them be happy enough to spread some of that niceness themselves.

Sometimes, admittedly, it feels like I'm fighting the tide. But I think the fight is worthwhile, nonetheless.