I am a person who likes to have all my Christmas shopping done no later than a week before Christmas, preferably sooner. In fact, I am confident the number of times I have been to a store on Christmas Eve throughout my life could be counted on one hand. While shopping, I was the recipient of a Christmas Eve gesture you won’t want to miss reading about.
Going to the store on Christmas Eve
I had overlooked a gift so I went to the store at 8 a.m. Christmas Eve morning, 2018, to get it. Since I was at the store, I also picked up some groceries so I wouldn’t have to return to the store for a while. While checking out my order, the cashier expressed how tired she was from working long hours. I felt appreciation for her and all those who work retail during the Christmas shopping rush.
Lady sitting on a bench
After the cashier finished ringing up my order, I gave her a gift certificate along with my payment. She couldn’t get the system to accept the certificate so she began looking for a manager to assist. Coincidentally, a manager walked by and the cashier called and waved to her, but she didn’t hear or notice the request for help. A lady sitting on a bench nearby noticed we were trying to get the manager’s attention so she spoke up on our behalf and succeeded in getting her attention.
Gift certificate
The manager came over directly to help us with the gift certificate. It was still taking some time to get the certificate into the system. The manager expressed appreciation for my patience and mentioned many people are not only impatient but outright mean in similar circumstances. I responded that I appreciated her hard work and services.
Christmas Eve gesture
I didn’t realize it, but the lady sitting on the bench was observing my lengthy “checkout” time. Just as my order was completed, the “bench” lady approached the cashier and manager declaring she wanted to pay for my order. The cashier, the manager and I were awed by her Christmas Eve gesture.
Why was she nervous?
I couldn’t help but notice this lady was nervous. I had the thought she had been sitting on the bench watching for opportunities to spread Christmas cheer, but I was confused as to why she was nervous and I also thought it was odd she had waited until my order was complete before offering her
Why is it taking so long?
This manager did not know how to return a multiple-item order so she called someone from upper management to assist. We stood and waited for another manager to remedy the situation for several minutes but no one came. The kind lady finally asked why it was taking so long. The manager explained she didn’t know how to return a multiple-item order and that we were waiting for another manager to return my order.
Manager and cashier response
The lady said, “Oh, I thought she wasn’t able to pay for her order.” Then she looked at me and apologized. I expressed how much I appreciated her kind gesture. The manager and cashier also expressed gratitude for offering to help me because she thought I was going to have to leave the store without my Christmas items.
Conclusion – Thank you, again
I noticed as I left the store, a man, I assume the partner of the lady responsible for the Christmas Eve gesture, joined her. Our cars were parked near each other so I had another opportunity to thank her for her kindness. I felt deep gratitude I had overlooked purchasing all my Christmas gifts so my Christmas could be enriched because I was the recipient of a kind Christmas Eve gesture.
Top Featured Photo by Joshua Rodriguez
