7 ms·

Would you mind sharing how you do this without making it awkward for the recipient or a spectacle? I’ve never been able to work that part out.

blix 4y ago
If someone doesn't have enough cash to pay for the groceries they brought to checkout, it's already an awkward situation.
- elliekelly 4y ago
  I'll never forget the kindness a stranger showed me at Logan airport the day before Thanksgiving. I was already cutting it kind of close to departure time and my boyfriend had gone ahead to board so I figured I had just enough time to duck into one of the shops to get a bottle of water for the flight. It wasn't until the clerk rang me up that I realized my wallet was in the bag my boyfriend had taken onto the plane for me! A remember frantically digging around in my purse for loose change (talk about desperation!) and even though I can usually bank on my purse having plenty of change floating around at the bottom airport water is expensive AF! I don't know why I didn't just walk away, panic of the moment, I guess? But finally a lovely woman behind me saved me from my desperate coin hunting when she stuck her arm out next to me with $5 in her hand and said "Happy Thanksgiving!" The awkwardness of not being able to pay was pretty uncomfortable but she really, truly, made my day!
buscoquadnary 4y ago
For me I've done things like that unusually just leave my card with the cashier and circle back to pick it up after they've left.
nonameking2026 4y ago
Yeah - it would be strange if someone offered to pay for my groceries, just because I was wearing old jeans looking depressed and worried because of the price of bitcoin. But I think it's a good thing to do if you "hit" the correct "target".
- autoexec 4y ago
  I don't need strangers to pay for my groceries either, but I think if they did (assuming it wasn't for a social media stunt) I'd accept it gracefully and try to pay it forward somehow. Maybe offer to pay for the next person, or use the money I'd have spent to buy those prepared bags for food pantries some shops offer. It's feels good to genuinely do something nice for another person and I wouldn't want to take that from them. It's also nice just knowing that not everyone in your community is only looking out for themselves. Might as well take the opportunity to do something for someone else
  - senojretep356 4y ago
    The issue is the social media bit. Someone paid for my groceries without filming it then yeah I'd just pay for the next persons.
    - nonameking2026 4y ago
      Probably best to decline politely if you don't need it. I've wanted to pay sometimes for people - but didn't have the courage... shame.
- senojretep356 4y ago
  Yeah this I go to the market in a hoodie and joggers, - looking as rough as hell. But if somebody paid for my groceries and was filming it all without my permission I'd be mad as hell. Aside from not needing others to pay for my groceries, it's an invasion of privacy.
- alias_neo 4y ago
  For my wife and I, we usually keep it to situations where it's needed, we don't just offer any body, just because. My wife being a feminist and a mother will always "target" to help the single/young mothers, or older ladies etc. I tend to just try help out those who are having trouble paying, regardless who they are, on the condition that if we're in a supermarket, their shop is a grocery shop on the whole; if they're buying £70 worth of spirits and nothing else, I'm probably not going to offer. I work in central London, so sometimes a tourist will come into my local cash-only coffee shop just in front of me and not have cash, so I'll just offer to buy their coffees or whatever, though there are no cash-only coffee shops now since returning to the office after the pandemic, so it doesn't happen as often.
mjevans 4y ago
Some supermarkets have two output buffers after a checker, seems easy to offer to pay just as the person in front finishes or to wait around a little to pay for the next person. You might also just pass 5 to 10 x 20 USD cash (or local equivalent) to the cashier and have that applied to the next person in line, and let them work out how to split any leftovers on their own. I've never done either of those things myself, but I did feel horrid enough about our government during an extended shutdown over budget stuff to directly support the food bank with some 'staples' from Costco as well as a just outright cash donation back when that BS happened last. Directly supporting the food bank is also an option that can help the even more needy.
- greyhair 4y ago
  My wife and I donate cash to the local food bank. Cash is actually more useful to them than food donations. Occasionally they have particular drives, generally for laundry and cleaning supplies. Those we buy outright.
alias_neo 4y ago
It's almost always that I'm behind them at the checkout/cashier. If they're struggling, card declined etc, they're probably already frustrated, they might turn to me to apologise, that's my cue; I'll just say, "hey, can I get that for you?“. I remember the first time, a guy about my age just buying food, his card was declined, he had a little bit of cash so the cashier was having him figure out what to leave behind so he had enough to cover it. I just asked if I could get it all for him and he just asked, "why?", looking puzzled, I just said "why not?", and something along the lines of "you can pass on the favour one day", he accepted. Other times its that the place doesn't take cards and they need to get cash, I'll just say, they can add it to my bill and I'll get it, if they don't mind. Sometimes people decline, but usually I'm pretty good at judging when people would appreciate it so it's rarely awkward.

blix 4y ago

If someone doesn't have enough cash to pay for the groceries they brought to checkout, it's already an awkward situation.

elliekelly 4y ago
I'll never forget the kindness a stranger showed me at Logan airport the day before Thanksgiving. I was already cutting it kind of close to departure time and my boyfriend had gone ahead to board so I figured I had just enough time to duck into one of the shops to get a bottle of water for the flight. It wasn't until the clerk rang me up that I realized my wallet was in the bag my boyfriend had taken onto the plane for me! A remember frantically digging around in my purse for loose change (talk about desperation!) and even though I can usually bank on my purse having plenty of change floating around at the bottom airport water is expensive AF! I don't know why I didn't just walk away, panic of the moment, I guess? But finally a lovely woman behind me saved me from my desperate coin hunting when she stuck her arm out next to me with $5 in her hand and said "Happy Thanksgiving!" The awkwardness of not being able to pay was pretty uncomfortable but she really, truly, made my day!

buscoquadnary 4y ago

For me I've done things like that unusually just leave my card with the cashier and circle back to pick it up after they've left.

nonameking2026 4y ago

Yeah - it would be strange if someone offered to pay for my groceries, just because I was wearing old jeans looking depressed and worried because of the price of bitcoin. But I think it's a good thing to do if you "hit" the correct "target".

autoexec 4y ago
I don't need strangers to pay for my groceries either, but I think if they did (assuming it wasn't for a social media stunt) I'd accept it gracefully and try to pay it forward somehow. Maybe offer to pay for the next person, or use the money I'd have spent to buy those prepared bags for food pantries some shops offer. It's feels good to genuinely do something nice for another person and I wouldn't want to take that from them. It's also nice just knowing that not everyone in your community is only looking out for themselves. Might as well take the opportunity to do something for someone else
- senojretep356 4y ago
  The issue is the social media bit. Someone paid for my groceries without filming it then yeah I'd just pay for the next persons.
  - nonameking2026 4y ago
    Probably best to decline politely if you don't need it. I've wanted to pay sometimes for people - but didn't have the courage... shame.
senojretep356 4y ago
Yeah this I go to the market in a hoodie and joggers, - looking as rough as hell. But if somebody paid for my groceries and was filming it all without my permission I'd be mad as hell. Aside from not needing others to pay for my groceries, it's an invasion of privacy.
alias_neo 4y ago
For my wife and I, we usually keep it to situations where it's needed, we don't just offer any body, just because. My wife being a feminist and a mother will always "target" to help the single/young mothers, or older ladies etc. I tend to just try help out those who are having trouble paying, regardless who they are, on the condition that if we're in a supermarket, their shop is a grocery shop on the whole; if they're buying £70 worth of spirits and nothing else, I'm probably not going to offer. I work in central London, so sometimes a tourist will come into my local cash-only coffee shop just in front of me and not have cash, so I'll just offer to buy their coffees or whatever, though there are no cash-only coffee shops now since returning to the office after the pandemic, so it doesn't happen as often.

mjevans 4y ago

Some supermarkets have two output buffers after a checker, seems easy to offer to pay just as the person in front finishes or to wait around a little to pay for the next person. You might also just pass 5 to 10 x 20 USD cash (or local equivalent) to the cashier and have that applied to the next person in line, and let them work out how to split any leftovers on their own. I've never done either of those things myself, but I did feel horrid enough about our government during an extended shutdown over budget stuff to directly support the food bank with some 'staples' from Costco as well as a just outright cash donation back when that BS happened last. Directly supporting the food bank is also an option that can help the even more needy.

greyhair 4y ago
My wife and I donate cash to the local food bank. Cash is actually more useful to them than food donations. Occasionally they have particular drives, generally for laundry and cleaning supplies. Those we buy outright.

alias_neo 4y ago

It's almost always that I'm behind them at the checkout/cashier. If they're struggling, card declined etc, they're probably already frustrated, they might turn to me to apologise, that's my cue; I'll just say, "hey, can I get that for you?“. I remember the first time, a guy about my age just buying food, his card was declined, he had a little bit of cash so the cashier was having him figure out what to leave behind so he had enough to cover it. I just asked if I could get it all for him and he just asked, "why?", looking puzzled, I just said "why not?", and something along the lines of "you can pass on the favour one day", he accepted. Other times its that the place doesn't take cards and they need to get cash, I'll just say, they can add it to my bill and I'll get it, if they don't mind. Sometimes people decline, but usually I'm pretty good at judging when people would appreciate it so it's rarely awkward.