The national chain store I work in has just closed when we hear someone knocking on the door:

Me: *Through the closed, locked door* “Can I help you?”

Customer: *Frantic and upset* “I need to come in! You made a mistake when you rang me up!”

Me: “I’m so sorry, ma’am, but we’re closed for the night. You’ll have to come back or call in the morning to get it fixed. I’m really sorry we made a mistake.”

Customer: “No! You need to fix it! You undercharged me! I owe you more money!”

Me: “Wait. The mistake was in your favor?”

Customer: “Yes! Please, you need to fix it!”

Me: “Ma’am, I really appreciate your honesty, but if the mistake is in your favor, and it was our fault, you don’t have to do anything else. Don’t worry about it at all. Enjoy your purchase!”

Customer: “Are you sure? I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

Me: “Don’t worry about a thing. Our mistake, our problem. Thank you for letting us know and for your honesty, and have a great night!”

Customer: *Much happier* “Okay, good night!”

My daughter and I are out shopping. A lady in front of me at the trolley bay is struggling with something, and since I know a few tricks with them, I speak up.

Me: “Are you okay?” 

Lady: “I don’t have the right change for the trolleys.”

Most supermarket trolleys in Ireland have a coin slot to unlock them, and they usually take a €1 coin, but sometimes if it’s an older lock you can fudge it with a smaller 20c coin.

Me: *Already sorting my change* “Here, sometimes this works.”

I put a 20c coin into the nearest trolley, which works fine. I pull it out and pass it back to her.

Lady: “Oh, thank you! How much did you put in there?”

Me: “Don’t worry about it; it’s just 20c. Happy Christmas!” 

She then pushes the €5 note she’d been carrying into my confused daughter’s hand. Cue the usual Irish Mammy’s argument about taking money, which we eventually ceded.

My daughter spent it on a charity fundraiser teddy, so we still got to spread some seasonal goodness.

I took my little brother out to a chain chicken wing restaurant for his birthday. I ordered a ten-piece wing platter. When I got it and started eating, I noticed I only had eight wings. Now, I don’t typically complain about food, but I wanted what I paid for. I waved the server over.

Me: “I’m not trying to be difficult, but I ordered a ten-piece platter and only got eight wings. I’d like to either change my order to an eight-piece or get two more wings, please.”

Server: “I don’t know how to change the order, but I’ll get you more wings.”

She goes to the kitchen and comes back about fifteen minutes later with another ten wings!

Me: “Why did you bring me ten more?!”

Server: “They’re on the house because you handled our mistake so calmly!”

It just shows that not being a jerk can get you a long way in life.

It’s around Christmas time and I’m finishing up my last-minute Christmas shopping at my local big-chain grocery store.

As I’m waiting in line to pay for my few items, I notice the man in front of me. He’s an older gentleman, probably in his late fifties. He’s talking with the cashier, obviously excited about something. I come to find out that he’s buying stuff for his new apartment, the first one he’s ever had. He’s telling her that he’s a recovering alcoholic and addict who has finally, FINALLY gotten clean, gotten a job, and gotten his life together enough to get off the streets and into a place he can actually call his own.

I smile to myself as I listen to this man gush in excitement about decorating his new place… until it comes time for him to cash out. I guess the total is a bit more than he planned on because he asks the cashier to put some stuff back. He sounds so sad that my heart breaks. I don’t have any cash on hand to help him, but I do have a plan.

As soon as he walks away toward the entrance to wait for the bus, I ask the cashier to add the items he didn’t buy to my own order. At first, she looks confused, but I quickly say:

Me: “I want to buy those for him. Can you make it fast so I can catch him before his bus gets here?”

Y’all, I’ve never seen a cashier move so fast in my life! I rush to the entrance and thankfully, he’s still there.

I walk right up to him, hand him the two bags of stuff had to put back, and tell him:

Me: “Happy holidays.”

The look on his face when he realized what I had given him was worth more than the small amount I had spent.

Dear readers,

Another year, another reason to be thankful we made it through. While 2021 certainly had its trials and tribulations, there were also many reasons for smiles and joy. We’ve rounded up twenty-five stories from the year that we hope might restore your faith in humanity, and give you hope that 2022 will be a better year!

The Gangster, The Pizza, And The Baby – Careful… this pizza comes with lots of onions!

An Unexpected Transition – We hope this story does not leave you confused.

A Colorful Wedding For A Colorful Family – Never be the person who stops someone living their joy when it is hurting precisely no one!

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