Trying to shop in a busy grocery store can make for a hectic outing. But nothing even compares to times when people are stockpiling for emergencies.
We all recently experienced this with the pandemic. Shoppers emptied aisles that contained essentials, carts were full, and check-out lines were long. Although they were hectic grocery trips – they were necessary in order to be prepared, and not have to return to the store often.
Senior citizens, especially, needed to avoid grocery stores as much as possible.
And that’s what an elderly man from Georgetown, Layne McKeel, had been trying to do during the time of crisis. As soon as he received his disability check, he made a trip to the local grocery store, stocked up on necessities, and stayed at home for as long as he could.
One day, Layne received his disability check by mail and was ready to spend it on food and the important items he needed. So, he visited the grocery store, where he filled his cart with $170 worth of groceries. What he didn’t consider was the fact that he had missed the senior discount hours. And that was when his heart sank in the checkout line.
“When she said it was $173.00, I said ‘Oh no’ and I pulled my wallet out and I only had 140,” Layne told WRCBtv.
The 17-year-old cashier had to inform Layne about his total, but she couldn’t bear the sight of him taking anything out of his cart, since all of it looked like essential items to her.
“It was all essential stuff so I was just like you know, and he was like what do I owe you? And I was like no, it’s fine, I’ll take care of it, it’s okay,” said Elizabeth Taylor, cashier at Fresh N Low in Georgetown.
The man was willing to remove some of the items from his cart. However, Elizabeth was determined to help the customer, who could risk his health if he were to make another trip to the store some other day.
Layne didn’t know what to say – he was in shock. Having someone else pay for the remaining groceries was something that hadn’t crossed his mind, and he couldn’t believe someone would be so kind to him.
Even more so, a teenager, for whom even the smallest amount of money makes a huge difference.
“She’s just a little angel is what she was. You know, just the light of day,” Layne said.
The teen explained the rationale behind her kind act, and her words are simply heartwarming.
“We’ve seen a lot of older people, and they’re all trying to buy groceries and a lot of places have ran out of stuff, and so the older people are kind of taking the downfall for that. I just try to give back when I can,” Elizabeth Taylor said.
While we all spent time apart during quarantine – in many ways, we were all brought together too.
This teen acted selflessly and with her heart to help a man she’d never met before. Surely he’ll never forget it, and we won’t either.
Press play on the video below to hear both Layne and Elizabeth talk about what happened that day!
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