What do people think about this scenario?

66Mustang

An elderly friend of the family had this happen to them recently and I am wondering what people think of it, whether it was just a genuine gesture from a nice person or is it a known scam?

Friend had around £50 worth of shopping and a middle aged man came up behind with just a bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne. Friend says to them if that's all they have then they can go first but the person declined and said they had all the time in the world.

When friend is packing their shopping the man takes the till divider away and puts his champagne and flowers with our friend's shopping. Friend asks what he is doing and he said don't worry he is paying for all of it.

He then goes and pays for all of our friend's shopping as well as his champagne and flowers and walks off. My friend asks if he wants the receipt in case he is stopped with alcohol and he says no so friend got to keep the receipt.

I thought it was just a rare act of kindness but with the way the world is we are sort of forced into just making sure that people don't recognise it as some sort of scam.

Thanks  

Albus_Scope

I've not heard of any scam like that.  It would've been different if the stranger kept the receipt. 

I think it sounds like your friend encountered a rare, but highly prized, act of kindness!  

66Mustang

Yep @Albus_Scope I think I agree I have heard of people doing that if there is a police officer, soldier, or NHS person or some such in the queue and they have a small amount of shopping, but never for a random person and never that amount of money.

Maybe he had just had some good news like an all clear health wise as when he said he had "all the time in the world" he said something along the lines that God had just given him extra time?

Albus_Scope

I've paid for someone's shopping before, as I'd just received my PIP backpay, it was about £10 worth of stuff.  It's just nice to spread the love sometimes and pay it forward.  I'm glad there's more people out there willing to do the same.  Even paying for someones soft mints could really make their day.  

It's nice thinking about what good news he may have had isn't it?  

66Mustang

I think most people are decent, my mother once had her purse stolen in broad daylight in a shop and multiple people came up to her giving her a small amount of money each, ( in fact she probably made a profit... ) 

Back to the subject of the thread, knowing the person whom had their shopping paid for, I imagine they will pay it forward multiple times over, which I guess is the idea  

Sandy_123

Yes it happens quite often, people do it in coffee shops and all over.  I was behind someone in home bargains, who said he'd see the total 1st and if it was too much he'd put the cooked meats back. I was going to get them for him, but he was happy with the total and got them.
I was at the chip van once and this yound kids card wouldn't work, they had alot of problems with card payments at the van. So I got it for him. 

woodbine

Sounds like a rare but fantastic act of kindness.

Hannah_Alumni

I have seen a lot of these acts of kindness on TikTok. Someone random adds their item(s), pay for everything and they take their item(s), the other customer takes theirs. 

I've paid for someone else's food before. I've done the Coffee Shop thing as Sandy mentioned. It's tough to see so many initiatives to help be out there but there are some great ones. Morrisons do these cost of living bags and you pay for one at the till and they donate it to the local food bank.  

THE_DUDE

More for views than truly an act of kindness @Hannah_Scope. Tik tok 👎

Albus_Scope

Some acts of kindness may be for views, but if it inspires more people to go out and do the same away from a camera lens, I think it's worth it. 

Jimm_Scope

You do have to be wary of content creators who are manufacturing situations, especially without consent of the other person.

I remember there was a incident a year ago where a tiktok creator gave an old woman flowers and she later came out saying she found the entire thing incredibly stressful and de-humanising.

Managed to find an article on it actually Melbourne woman ‘dehumanised’ by viral TikTok filmed without her consent | TikTok | The Guardian