A Little Kindness In Hard Times Goes A Long Way

CONTENT WARNING: Pet Death

My husband and I had just dropped our rabbit off at the vet’s; she was not doing well and the outlook was not hopeful. We needed some groceries, so we were in the discount supermarket next door when we got a phone call to tell us that our rabbit had had a seizure and ask if we wanted them to attempt resuscitation.

As we were next door, we said we’d be right over, but we had a basket of shopping. My husband refuses to be one of those people who just leave stuff in the wrong place, so he handed it to a cashier.

Husband: “I’m sorry. Our pet is dying, so we need to go, but we’ll be back for our shopping.”

Our rabbit sadly passed away, and after saying our goodbyes, we went back to the supermarket to get our shopping. As soon as the cashier saw us — I was still sobbing — she left her till and the large queue. She’d put our basket in the chiller out the back to stop anything going bad. She gave me a hug and got a colleague to open a till so we could just get our things and go.

The supermarket in question has a reputation for curt service and scanning items too quickly, but that cashier made a terrible night slightly more bearable. It really stood out as an example of people caring, which doesn’t happen too often these days.