Oftentimes, a gesture of kindness can offset the overwhelming struggles of hardship. The following story is about a woman who, while trying to be a welcoming host to unexpected guests, was met with misfortune.
But her troubles were corrected when a thoughtful grocery store cashier showed some compassion, demonstrating the magic that “happens when people love the way God intended.”
Keep reading to learn how a grocery store in Nashville took their customer service to another level!
In mid-February, Lindsay Gipe shared a story where she expressed gratitude about “what happened in Nashville to my mom today.”
Her mother, Laney Hicks – grieving the death of her husband Russ who died in December 2023 – was taking the day to herself, and “headed out to the mall to do some leisurely shopping.”
But her day of freedom took a turn when she received a call from unexpected company, announcing they would shortly arrive at her Nashville home.
“Being the amazingly hospitable hostess she is, she turned around to go to the grocery store instead of shopping for herself so she could have food to prepare, and clean the place for their visit,” wrote Gipe, a mother of two.
Dashing through the grocery store (Publix), the frazzled woman politely slowed down when she met the cashier and in their conversation, Hicks explained her predicament.
After spending $255 on groceries, she left the store and started her journey back home, leaving little time to prepare for guests.
Gipe then explains when her mother was about 30 minutes from her home, she looked through the back window of her new SUV and thought, “that is the cleanest back window I have ever seen.”
“Turns out, her new Expedition (which she hasn’t had for long) has a button you can push to open the back hatch, and she didn’t realize it had opened! She lost almost ALL her groceries and didn’t realize it until she was home,” Gipe wrote of her mother’s groceries that, while the vehicle was in motion, flew out the back window.
Strapped for time and frustrated, Hicks desperately looked for a solution.
Not long after, her phone rang.
Good deed goes unpunished
It was the manager at the grocery store she just patronized.
The gentle voice on the other end of the phone told her the store’s surveillance cameras captured her driving from the parking lot, her groceries spilling everywhere.
Gipe wrote: “The cashier who checked her out told the manager about the conversation they had with my mom and her change-of-plan grocery shopping run for unexpected company.”
She continued: “So, this is what they did: They printed my mom’s receipt, went through the store and got all her groceries, bagged them, threw in a fresh baked apple pie and delivered them to her house.”
Hicks, completely shocked over the thoughtfulness and generosity, expressed her infinite gratitude by vowing a lifetime of loyalty to that one grocery store.
Responding to Gipe’s story on Facebook, netizens showered Publix with praise, some sharing their own experiences with the supermarket chain, that operates across the southeastern U.S.
“When I was pregnant, they practically put my seatbelt on after loading my groceries and opening the car door. Amazing customer service,” wrote one woman. A second shared: “As a retired manager from Publix, it makes my heart so happy to hear stories like this.”
But of course, a few cyber fans chose to focus on the dark side, saying the bounty of groceries would have been better served with someone who’s struggling financially.
“A very nice gesture, saved her money, time and stress before her guests, but there are a lot of people more needy than someone with a new car with a remote hatch,” wrote one. Another user, sharing a similar sentiment, added: “Nice…but I can think of many better ways to give away free groceries, to people that desperately need them, other than to a woman who didn’t know how to properly operate her brand new, ridiculously large and expensive SUV.”
In the past seven years, Publix Super Market Charities has donated more than $28 million in support of Habitat for Humanity and other non-profits providing housing and shelter services across the Southeast.
‘It’s so rare’
Meanwhile, her daughter wrote: “This is what happens when people love the way God intended. (Compassionately, kind, gracious, sacrificially, unselfishly, merciful, understanding, patient, beyond what you could ask or think.) This is what God’s love looks like in ACTION.” She adds, “How sad that it’s so rare.”
While we understand that some online users say the food should have gone to those who need it more, we also cannot judge the store’s thoughtful gesture! What Publix did to help this widow was above and beyond, and it deserves applause!
What are your thoughts on this story? Please let us know in the comments section and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
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