Random Act of Kindness

I was at Target the other day fishing in the dog food aisle. I was trying to see what the best deal I could get with the million and one dog treat coupons I had. A lady came down the aisle and she was looking at dog treats too. She had two bags in her hand and was looking at a third. It seemed like she was pretty torn. I couldn’t help but noticed because I mean, it was just dog treats and it seemed like it was a pretty big decision for her. I stepped over to her and asked “would you like a coupon for those treats?” surprised she responded “Oh my God, thank you thank you!”

I was kind of taken off guard as to how surprised and super thankful she was that I offered her the $1 off coupon. She proceeded to tell me that she had a nine week old puppy she was trying to potty train and how she wanted to use treats. She was concerned that she didn’t know how much she was going to need and she wanted something softer because of puppy’s teeth. She was also concerned about the price of the bags…she didn’t really know how much she was gonna need and she didn’t know what the best deal was.

I showed her a bag that I had used before since I also have a young puppy. I also showed her how she could make it last longer by breaking the big treats up into smaller yet effective treats. After that, I introduced her to unit pricing. Again, surprisingly, she’d never heard of that term. So, I stood there and broke it down for her with the different bags of treats and explained how she should apply that to really anything she buys. I found her a good deal on a bag of dog treats that would last her a while especially if she breaks them up. I made sure she understood why it was a good deal. She thanked me several more times and went on her way.

I really hadn’t planned on having a little class in the dog food aisle but it was so satisfying that this woman totally took in what I said and she was so grateful for it. When I got home, I was explaining to DH why I was late. I was telling him how surprised I was with that lady’s response. How super thankful she was. I mean, I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal on my part. I love spreading the “gospel” about saving money. DH then brought a point that is so true, that I didn’t think of. He said “people don’t do nice things for folks anymore like they use to. Being helpful to that lady probably caught her off guard as much as her reaction caught you off guard”.

That really makes me sad. The world shouldn’t be that way. So, my challenge to you is to do one act of kindness this week. You don’t have to spend any money to do it yet you’ll feel like a million bucks.