Kindness makes a difference

The economy doesn't seem to be kind to anyone these days, but a few experiences in the past couple of weeks remind me that people still are...

--I was debating on a purchase in a store that shall remain unnamed, but the price was somewhat steeper than I was wanting to pay. I kept coming back to look at the item that I was considering, and one of the store clerks said to the effect, "I'll let you know something--that will be 50% off tomorrow." I asked if it was just the following day (knowing I wouldn't be back the next day) and was told that it would be discounted for at least a week. There were not many of the item on the shelves, and the clerk even offered to put my name on it and put it under the counter. I declined, but said I would be back. I was grateful to the clerk for sharing that information.

I was back two days later, and the item was nowhere to be seen on the shelf I had visited previously. I need to mention that the store in question is not one that I would ordinarily frequent because (at least in my perception) the prices there tend to be higher. But because I had come back another day, and had not purchased the original item immediately, I had more time to look around. I came across something that was a perfect purchase at a reasonable price for someone else on my list, and was going up to purchase it, when I asked the clerk who was there (not the same one) if the fact that I couldn't find it on the shelf meant that they didn't have it. The clerk checked on the computer, and directed me to the promotional table, where, yes indeed, the original item was there, discounted price and all.

I don't mention the name of the store because I wouldn't want the store clerk who was so kind to get in trouble over it. But, I will point out that as a result of this employee's kindness, there were two purchases made, not one, and that now I will most likely return for further purchases sooner because I discovered, only because of my return visit, that there are more items that I may like to purchase eventually. The kindness of the employee does nothing but improve my overall impression of the store as well...

--I've been using coupons more, and there are times that I will go out of my way because the coupons enclosed in the newspaper make it worth my while to visit a particular shopping establishment. I can sometimes get sticker shock visiting the dairy section of just about any grocery store, especially when it comes to cheese prices. So recently, when there was a good coupon price on bricks of cheese, I made my way to the store in question so that I could take advantage of it.

When I got there, the advertised price on the dairy case was a dollar more than the coupon price. Thing is, on top of the bricks of cheese in question, someone had left one of the coupons so that someone else could take advantage of the better price. I left it there, since I had my coupon (and cheese limit) in hand, but I was really glad to see that someone was that considerate of others. It is that store's policy to have a coupon-sharing bin at the entrance to the store, but to go through the extra effort to help ensure that the coupon was used by placing it where someone who didn't have time to go through the bin/didn't know about the coupon price was just an example of extra kindness to me....

The preceding examples of kindness were personal experiences, but there are evidently many more experiences happening across our state where people are being kind to each other, if you look at this article from the Idaho Statesman. Despite the rough economy, many people in Idaho have made huge efforts to help those less fortunate.

Way to go, Idaho. Kindness does make a difference, whether it's materially with goods that are needed, or whether it's the smile that comes because you know someone is going to save a dollar because there was an individual nice enough to leave a coupon for someone else...