Letter: Thanks for random acts of kindness at Winco

Recently, I had surgery and still had some bending and weight restrictions when I decided to stop for some groceries at the Richland Winco. What an amazing experience.

First, I got help lifting a 10-pound sack of flour in the baking aisle. Then as I was checking out, the clerk provided another associate to help me bag my purchases and load them into my cart, and put them in my car.

The most amazing encounter happened when I was going to pay. Another customer came up to me and gave me a big hug and said “Your groceries are on me!” It was such a surprise and very humbling. The Tri-Cities is known for its kind, generous people, especially around the holidays, but apparently this person picks someone at random every month.

I have since “paid it forward,” but I want to thank not only the lady who paid my bill, but also the extremely helpful clerks at Winco, and the young lady who helped me put the flour into my cart. Their random acts of kindness made my day. God bless all of them.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Letter: Thanks for random acts of kindness at Winco."