I work at a petrol station overnight. Every evening around 2:00 am, this Middle Eastern guy in his late twenties comes by to get his petrol. He hardly speaks English and is always very polite. He also always buys three chocolate bars for £1 that are next to the registers.

After a week of this, he buys his three chocolate bars and then hands me one.

Me: “You’re giving it to me?”

Customer: “I always give chocolate to my friends.”

He then flashed a huge and wonderful smile and went on his way.

He buys a chocolate for me every day at 2:00 am and has done so for months. He’s a late-night delivery driver, and he doesn’t get a chance to speak to many English speakers outside of his deliveries, so I have been helping him with his English. I happily take my chocolate bar as payment.

I work in a gas station. A bunch of little kids are outside pooling money together near the gas pumps where I am working. The gas station also sells pizza. I overhear that they’re buying slices of pizza, and they all agree to just use a pocket knife and eat a third of a piece each.

One kid needs some sort of part for his bike he’s been saving for and only needs another $20. He offers to buy everyone a piece if they try and get their parents to let him mow their yards for the money he needs.

I go in and grab a bunch of pizza, and they come in just as I am putting on the counter.

Me: “I saw you all trying to share your money.”

I leave $20 on the counter for the kid’s bike.

Me: “You get to divide it up and get your bike fixed because you offered to use your savings.”

I’ve never seen a happier group of kids. Since then, I try a few times a month or so to do something nice for someone.

About thirteen years later, I have moved on, but I swing into the same gas station as a customer to grab snacks for myself and some friends heading to the zoo. The Internet is apparently down all over town, so credit cards aren’t working, and we have almost no cash. I am pretty bummed, but stuff happens.

As I am putting stuff away, a guy offers to just pay for it all. When I politely decline, he starts laughing.

Guy: “Dude, you’re the guy!”

Me: “I’m what?”

Guy: “You’re the guy that bought us all pizza!”

It was the bike kid from years ago. He paid for the snacks, got his own, and followed us to the zoo on his motorcycle. He has a motorcycle shop now and has a spot out back where he gets junk bicycles donated to clean up and give away. He swears he’ll never have a vehicle with four wheels.

I guess he got his bike fixed. And now he has a pretty good life running a motorcycle shop and fixing/donating other kid’s bikes!

This story is part of the Best-Feel-Good-Stories Of-2023 roundup!

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My dad is a former Marine and raised me to always be respectful and grateful to the people who serve our country. I am twenty-three, and I have a slew of medical conditions that prevent me from serving in the military, so I am extra grateful to the people who serve.

I am at a gas station getting my morning coffee, and two girls about my age walk in wearing Army uniforms. They get their coffee and a few snacks and go to check out.

Me: *Stepping over to the register* “Whatever they are getting is on me.”

Army Girl #1: “Oh, ma’am, that’s okay.”

Army Girl #2: “Yeah, you don’t need to do that.”

Me: “Ladies, if I tried to apply to the military, I would get laughed out of the admissions office as soon as they saw my medical records. I can’t serve, so the least I can do is buy your coffee.”

They relent, thank me, take their things, and leave. I put my coffee on the counter to add to the total.

Cashier: “And your coffee is on me. No debate.”

I relent and pay for the total.

Cashier: “See you tomorrow!”

My state has increased the minimum age for tobacco purchase to twenty-one. Every gas station in my local area now requires everyone, regardless of age at all, to show a valid ID to discourage the already ongoing issue of purchasing for underage people.

Customer: “Marlboro 100s.”

Me: “Sure, we do need to ask for ID.”

Customer: “What? Dude I’m like, twice your age.”

Me: “I’m still required to as part of my job, I completely get the frustration though.”

I’ve found that appearing sympathetic to a certain point can avoid issues sometimes, but not always…

Customer: “Yeah, I guess you conveniently forgot to card the pretty little white girl a minute ago, huh?”

Me: “Actually, she had just come back in after getting her ID since she had left it in the car and I couldn’t sell it to her otherwise. Again, I get it, but I still need to card everyone regardless of if they’re twenty-one or a-hundred-and-twenty-one.”

Customer: “F*** outta here, I’m going up the road for the cigs.”

Me: “Just the gas then today?”

I puts the cigarettes back in the slot.

Customer: “You really are gonna be a little b**** about it, aren’t you? You’re lucky if I don’t decide to sue you discrimination of age or attempting to steal identity information.”

I am seriously irritated and there’s a line forming which isn’t helping the stress at this point. 

Me: “Sir, I have to do my job regardless. If you really feel inclined to do so, I can’t legally try to stop you, but for now, if you’re still getting gas, please let me know… I don’t mean to sound rude but I’m the only one with a register open and there’s a line forming.”

Customer: “Right, now you’re just being a dumb-a**, but it’s cool. College isn’t for everyone I guess. I’ll just get the gas up the road.”

Me: *Internally fuming at this point.* “Understandable. Enjoy the rest of the day though!”

Customer: “What, you thought I was serious? $25 on nine.”

Thankfully he shut up until he got to the door after finally pre-paying for the gas… then blurts out that the company should be recognized for employing special-ed kids.

He was banned from the property after being caught giving two others a hard time like that too, once during the next shift after me, and once the following day to my manager directly.

Related:
No ID, No Idea, Part 51
No ID, No Idea, Part 50
No ID, No Idea, Part 49
No ID, No Idea, Part 48
No ID, No Idea, Part 47

Customer: “I want a refund on your car wash!”

Me: “Did it not clean your car, ma’am?”

Customer: “Only the outside! But the inside is still filthy!”

Me: “The car wash only cleans the outside of your car, ma’am. The inside is up to you. We don’t do car detailing here.”

Customer: “That’s false advertising! You advertised a car wash, and I didn’t get a car wash!”

Me: “Ma’am, the general understanding is that a car wash is just for the exterior. Drivers are usually responsible for keeping the interior of their cars clean.”

Customer: “Well, what about those who aren’t responsible?! What about them?”

Me: “I can’t really answer that honestly to your satisfaction, ma’am.” 

She ended up complaining to my manager and was given directions to a car detailing service. From what I saw, the inside of her car was filthy and full of trash.