Alex Carson
Shopping With Young Children
Anyone who has ever gone shopping with young children understands how difficult it can be. Getting through the store and checking off everything on your list can be a hassle when your children are wining, hyper, or asking you to buy anything and everything in the store. When you get to the checkout line, things don’t get any easier. Children see the candy on display and can’t help themselves. If the line is long, it can wear your patience down quickly. Sarah Owen Bigler understood these frustrations all too well. One day, at Target, she was hoping to avoid these issues, but it just wouldn’t be.
Sarah’s Day
Sarah had a long day at work, and it wasn’t over yet. Her husband Matt was sick, so it was up to her to pick up her son, Archie, from the babysitter and her daughter, Eloise from school. Before heading home, she had to go to Target to pick up a few things. She wanted to get home quickly and was thrilled when she saw that there was a line with just one person standing there. She thought that she was lucky until she saw why there was just one person in the line.
The Current Situation
As Sarah was putting her items on the conveyor, she noticed that it was an elderly woman who was in line in front of her. While paying for her items, she was using her credit card. This would seem quick, but the woman asked the cashier to charge each item separately. Archie, who was just 1 ½ year old, was having a meltdown, and Sarah was becoming annoyed. All she wanted to do was get home quickly.
Shocked
What should have taken just a minute or two was stretching out to last several minutes. When the cashier finished ringing up each item separately, the woman held out her shaky hand full of change. She asked the cashier if she had enough money to buy a reusable shopping bag. He counted her money and told her that she did. Since the cashier didn’t have any reusable bags in his line, he had to go two lines over to to get her a bag. Next, he had to repackage every item that she purchased in the new bag. This shocked Sarah. Not because of everything that the woman had asked, but by the way that the cashier treated the woman. This mom takes note of patient cashier assisting elderly woman.
Patience
Even though Sarah was becoming a bit frustrated with what was happening around her, she noticed that the cashier wasn’t. He didn’t roll his eyes, he didn’t huff and puff, and he didn’t get annoyed once. His patience was remarkable. Sarah stood watching him in awe; then she noticed that her daughter, Eloise, was watching too. Sarah realized that what was going on in line wasn’t something to be annoyed with; it was a teaching moment for her young daughter. She was thrilled that her daughter was able to witness the kindness and patience that the cashier offered to a woman who clearly needed help and kindness. Sarah realized that it was an excellent refresher for her on this lesson as well. She almost felt guilty about getting impatient when this cashier was being so kind and helpful.
Sarah’s Turn
When it was Sarah’s turn to cash out, the cashier thanked her for her patience. Sarah thanked the cashier for teaching her and Eloise the importance of patient and kindness. Even though her day was put off a bit by the extra time she spent in Target, she didn’t care. She decided to extend her visit even further by looking for the store manager.
Searching
Since store managers are often all over the store, all day long, Sarah had to walk around for a while looking for her. She wanted the manager to know how kind the cashier had been to the woman that day. When she finally tracked the manager down, she shared the story and let the manager know that the cashier helped her daughter learn about patience and kindness. The manager was happy that Sarah was so impressed by the employee.
Telling Her Story
When Sarah got home, she told her husband all about her experience. She also decided to tell her story on social media. She wanted everyone to know how great the cashier was to the elderly woman.
Sarah’s Post
In Sarah’s Facebook post, Sarah told the story of what she had witnessed that day in Target. She finished her post with, “If you are ever in the Glendale Target, give Ishmael a smile and a nod. The world could use more people like him.”
Hope
This cashier, Ishmael, gave Sarah hope that there are still good people in the world. She was happy that her daughter was able to learn a lesson that day. She was also delighted that she learned a bit about patience, which is a lesson she had long since forgotten after becoming a mom. Kudos Ishmael.
