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A stranger did something really nice for me today

(100 Posts)
Chewbacca Fri 11-Oct-19 21:16:13

I've needed a new pair of boots for a while now but finances are a bit tight to say the least, so I nipped into M & S to see if they had any reasonably priced ones. Found a pair that I liked at the top end of my budget and took them to the pay point. The man who served me asked if I had the M & S discount code but I didn't even know about them and so just shook my head. He smiled at me and said "Well, you're in luck! I've got one here!" And he swiped the voucher and instantly knocked almost £10.00 off the price! I was so surprised and delighted, I could have hugged him but I thanked him profusely instead.

Tomorrow, I'm going to forward on "a kindness to a stranger". smile

Grannybags Fri 11-Oct-19 21:26:20

How lovely! Doesn't it lift your spirits when a complete stranger does something nice for you? ?

EllanVannin Fri 11-Oct-19 21:29:15

I love hearing things like this.

Chewbacca Fri 11-Oct-19 21:29:41

Yup! And he was so lovely about doing it too!

Namsnanny Fri 11-Oct-19 21:31:51

Same here EllanVannin ...I bet you will remember that chap for years to come Chewbacca!!

KatyK Fri 11-Oct-19 21:34:14

How lovely. I used to get M&S 20 percent off vouchers through the post with my Sparks card. For some reason I don't now but if ever I had a spare one and was queuing to pay, I would always offer one to someone in the queue.

SueDonim Fri 11-Oct-19 21:35:31

Ah, that's lovely!

I heard a 'kindness' story today, too. I met an old friend and asked after her mother, who is about 90yo. Mother had only gone and booked herself a solo trip to Las Vegas, because she'd never been!

On the trip out, the airline upgraded her to First Class. Then one evening when she went to pay for dinner in a restaurant the waitress told her that the family at the next table had already paid for her meal. She said they hadn't even spoken or anything but they took that very kind action anyway.

It gives you hope in humankind. smile

Nortsat46 Sat 12-Oct-19 08:14:53

I was once walking through Holborn, in London on a very wet day, with driving rain. I saw a homeless woman huddled in a doorway, asleep but she must have been soaked by the direction of the heavy rain.

Ahead of me was a 'City' type man, in a suit and an overcoat, with a large black umbrella. He ducked into the doorway and propped his umbrella over the sleeping woman, to shield her from the rain. Then he continued on his way umbrella-less, getting soaked himself ... What a guy!

Beckett Sat 12-Oct-19 08:37:33

I think these little acts of kindness happen more often than we know. We only hear about the nasty things that happen.

We are told when two neighbours fall out and have a fight but we are rarely told about the neighbour who regularly looks in on an ill or elderly neighbour

NanKate Sat 12-Oct-19 08:40:26

I got hopelessly stuck in a car park trying to reverse our car (a very long one then). A young man got out of his car and said he would direct me and I said I couldn’t do it but he insisted I would be fine. He got me out of a very tight spot. I wanted to thank him profusely but he jumped into his own car and zoomed off. He was so good looking too ?

sodapop Sat 12-Oct-19 08:51:45

NanKate gringrin

I agree Beckett we hear about the bad things people do but not often the kind things, makes the day brighter doesn't it.

Maggiemaybe Sat 12-Oct-19 08:52:07

SueDonim and Nortsat46, your posts have really warmed my cockles this morning!

annsixty Sat 12-Oct-19 09:01:11

One of my friends has a very good and kind D.
Their elderly neighbours played on this a little, even to the extent of ringing any time day and night for help.
When the second one died they were absolutely astonished to be left over £100, 000 in their will.
Their very good deeds brought them a huge reward, they would have done it anyway.

Harris27 Sat 12-Oct-19 09:06:43

Aw these threads have lifted my heart!

Septimia Sat 12-Oct-19 09:13:01

I'm a dab hand at turning my ankle over and going flying.

I did it on two occasions when I was in town. Each time a young man came to help me up.

The thing is that neither of them looked very respectable, yet they had the kindness to help. No-one else did anything.

DoraMarr Sat 12-Oct-19 09:46:04

I was going by taxi to a hospital appointment. I had woken up that morning feeling very anxious about it, although it hadn’t bothered me up until then. We’d hardly left when I cried out “Stop! I don’t think I have my hospital letter!” I found it in my bag, and we carried on. The driver began chatting, asking me lots of questions about where I lived and...actually, I have forgotten most of it. When we arrived, he turned to me and said “good luck my dear, I hope all is well.” I realised he was trying to distract me, and that simple act of kindness gave me a lump in my throat, so I had to stop and take a breath before I walked in to the hospital.

bikergran Sat 12-Oct-19 10:06:04

Myself and family went on a little weekend away a few months ago, we had to leave a day early as my mum had a few weeks before been diagnosed with a cancer.

I explained to the hotelier that my mum had received and appointment and we had to leave a day earl.

When we went to pay the bill she didn't charge us for the extra night that we should have been there.

Persistentdonor Sat 12-Oct-19 10:18:31

I read once that many people never speak to anyone except shop assistants in an average day, so if I think something nice about someone I will say it to them, with a smile.

I shall probably be arrested one of these days, blush but if I can lift someone's spirits, I'm happy.

jacq10 Sat 12-Oct-19 10:25:14

When DH was poorly on the rare occasion I had some time to myself I used to nip into a favourite cafe in town for a coffe and croissant and sort out my head. One day I shared a table with a young Canadian girl who was tracing her Scottish ancestry. We chatted and I gave her some local info. When I went to pay my bill it had already been paid! The same thing happened some time later - this time it was a young chap about the same age as my DS and as he had left the area to go to Uni many years previous we discussed all the changes, etc. I think we had about a half hour chat and it gave me such a lift before I headed home. Thinking about it now I am wondering if they had sensed I had my worries.

Jane10 Sat 12-Oct-19 10:29:48

This is the sort of thing that really makes the world go round. Little kindnesses. I once had a puncture in the car park of a sports centre. I'd summoned help so was just waiting. A lady that I only knew by sight came and asked if she could get me a coffee as I might be in for a long cold wait. Such kindness!

Carillion01 Sat 12-Oct-19 10:31:35

Chewbacca, a lovely thread. It's really lifted my day. Thank you.
Xxx
????

eebeew Sat 12-Oct-19 10:38:51

When we first moved to NewZealand many years ago we found it lovely that people you pass on a walk or in the street would smile and say “Hi”. We still do it and it really does enhance an outing. It doesn’t happen in the city but most other places it’s still very common. (Except for visitors who don’t know our friendly ways and look steadfastly ahead!)
Funnily enough when my son aged about 19 went to London he started chatting to people on the tube! Bit like Crocodile Dundee!

KatyK Sat 12-Oct-19 11:08:33

I've just remembered a recent act of kindness. We were on our way back from holiday, so quite a few miles from home. We went to a National Trust property with a view to getting our daughter a particular calendar that we buy her each year. There were none on the shelf but I spotted a lady with one she was buying. I ask her where she found it and she told me it was the last one. I asked the assistant and she said they hadn't got any more until the following week. I thanked her but said we lived too far away to travel back. The lady who was buying it said 'Have this one. I don't live too far away and can come back next week'. How kind.

toscalily Sat 12-Oct-19 11:15:46

This is so nice to read, little rays of sunshine amongst all the doom & gloom. Yesterday while in Waitrose (normally its Lidl) I wanted a pack of chunky fish fingers, there were only two packs left right at the back of the top cabinet, no way could I reach being far too short, no sign of floor staff anywhere. Further down the isle a tall gentleman was talking to two ladies so I went across and waited for a pause in the conversation, all three laughed when I asked for help, one lady obviously his wife said " he does come in useful sometimes" a light hearted encounter and he helped me out of my dilemma.

Maggiemaybe Sat 12-Oct-19 11:39:57

eebeew, people certainly still do speak in the street round here (Yorkshire)!

I actually think Londoners get a bad press. They may be more reserved in general, but we’ve always found people there as friendly and helpful as anywhere else when we’ve needed it. For example we’ve always had offers of help when obviously struggling with maps (yes, a common occurrence for DH and me!).