WWYD - What Would You Do?

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AlChemE

Junior Member
#1
Feb 22, 2018
1
0
0
#1
I'm new here, but thought a discussion on real life situations might be interesting. Sort of came to mind today at a grocery check out. I went into a nice short check-out line, with only one person ahead of me, with a relatively small basket load. About 10 minutes later, it was finally my turn. The lady's items were rung up fairly quickly, but then I realized she was waiting for a cashier to bring over a couple packs of cigarettes. They brought over the wrong type, so she sent them back. This was repeated three times, before they finally got what she wanted. Then she paid with a debit card, but still had a balance. Tried again and got an insufficient funds message. Then she pulled out a checkbook and wrote a check for the difference. I was thinking to myself that they really shouldn't take a check written off the same account that just had insufficient funds. Sure enough, the check verification system denied it. She then started putting items back to be taken off her bill to make up the difference (about $11).

The whole time, I was being patient and smiling. I wondered if I could have done more to show a little Christian love, but I'm not sure. I considered offering to pay the extra $11 for her, but I really don't like the smoking habit, and didn't really want to be buying cigarettes for her. (And those 2 packs of smokes were probably somewhere right around that $11 total.)

Is there something I could've done better? What would you do?
 
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Troubled65

Senior Member
#2
Feb 22, 2018
119
8
18
#2
I am also new here AlChemE, and am an exsmoker. I know how addictive those nasty things
can be to give up. As to what more you could have done, I am not sure. Seems like you
did pretty well. If the Lord moved in my heart to give her the money, I would have done it.
IF I had the means to do so.
 
A

Ariel82

Guest
#3
#3
Being patient is good.

I wouldn't have offered to pay $11 for cigarettes, but it's good you didn't judge her for it,
 
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Depleted

Guest
#4
#4
AlChemE said:
I'm new here, but thought a discussion on real life situations might be interesting. Sort of came to mind today at a grocery check out. I went into a nice short check-out line, with only one person ahead of me, with a relatively small basket load. About 10 minutes later, it was finally my turn. The lady's items were rung up fairly quickly, but then I realized she was waiting for a cashier to bring over a couple packs of cigarettes. They brought over the wrong type, so she sent them back. This was repeated three times, before they finally got what she wanted. Then she paid with a debit card, but still had a balance. Tried again and got an insufficient funds message. Then she pulled out a checkbook and wrote a check for the difference. I was thinking to myself that they really shouldn't take a check written off the same account that just had insufficient funds. Sure enough, the check verification system denied it. She then started putting items back to be taken off her bill to make up the difference (about $11).

The whole time, I was being patient and smiling. I wondered if I could have done more to show a little Christian love, but I'm not sure. I considered offering to pay the extra $11 for her, but I really don't like the smoking habit, and didn't really want to be buying cigarettes for her. (And those 2 packs of smokes were probably somewhere right around that $11 total.)

Is there something I could've done better? What would you do?
Click to expand...
Nah! One pack of smokes was likely to be $11.

That said, when you need stuff that bad, it's a bad time to quit smoking too. So, I would have paid it off for her. lol
 
Joidevivre

Joidevivre

Senior Member
#5
Jul 15, 2014
3,838
271
83
#5
If you had paid the remaining bill for her, what she would have seen is that someone showed her a little loving act. Maybe she needed that touch - maybe her life is hard. She was obviously in need of $$.

Paying her for the cigarettes would not be what she would remember.
 
Deade

Deade

Called of God
#6
Dec 17, 2017
16,724
10,530
113
77
Vinita, Oklahoma, USA
yeshuaofisrael.org
#6
It seems to me you did your Christian duty, just standing there refusing that evil spirit yelling in your ear "THE NERVE OF HER!" If you offered to buy something for her, you might have embarrassed her.

7072.gif
 
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gb9

Senior Member
#7
Jan 18, 2011
11,707
6,307
113
#7
Deade said:
It seems to me you did your Christian duty, just standing there refusing that evil spirit yelling in your ear "THE NERVE OF HER!" If you offered to buy something for her, you might have embarrassed her.

View attachment 178978
Click to expand...
that is a good point.
 
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Depleted

Guest
#8
#8
Deade said:
It seems to me you did your Christian duty, just standing there refusing that evil spirit yelling in your ear "THE NERVE OF HER!" If you offered to buy something for her, you might have embarrassed her.

View attachment 178978
Click to expand...
At one point in time we were living on $835 a month plus $258 a month in food stamps. Our mortgage was $550. Our utilities averaged $350. (Electricity, gas, and water. I'm not counting the phone as a utility, even though I think it is not a luxury. The government seems to think it is. Oh, and yup, both hubby and I were smokers back then. Just found a cheaper way to keep the habit.)

The math wasn't working in our favor.

We made it through that time because people "embarrassed" us. It really was embarrassing, but keeping hubby comfortable through chemo therapy made it worth being embarrassed over.

At least give the person the option to turn you down. That's another word. "Dignity." The choice between accepting the charity or not.
 
O

oldethennew

Banned
#9
Feb 28, 2016
11,311
2,972
113
#9
it's all about our hearts being right with God...even if you know that one is a drunk,
he can have some relief, even though it is a bondage...'discernment and Godly Love is the key'...
 
zeroturbulence

zeroturbulence

Senior Member
#10
Aug 2, 2009
24,578
4,268
113
#10
AlChemE said:
I'm new here, but thought a discussion on real life situations might be interesting. Sort of came to mind today at a grocery check out. I went into a nice short check-out line, with only one person ahead of me, with a relatively small basket load. About 10 minutes later, it was finally my turn. The lady's items were rung up fairly quickly, but then I realized she was waiting for a cashier to bring over a couple packs of cigarettes. They brought over the wrong type, so she sent them back. This was repeated three times, before they finally got what she wanted. Then she paid with a debit card, but still had a balance. Tried again and got an insufficient funds message. Then she pulled out a checkbook and wrote a check for the difference. I was thinking to myself that they really shouldn't take a check written off the same account that just had insufficient funds. Sure enough, the check verification system denied it. She then started putting items back to be taken off her bill to make up the difference (about $11).

The whole time, I was being patient and smiling. I wondered if I could have done more to show a little Christian love, but I'm not sure. I considered offering to pay the extra $11 for her, but I really don't like the smoking habit, and didn't really want to be buying cigarettes for her. (And those 2 packs of smokes were probably somewhere right around that $11 total.)

Is there something I could've done better? What would you do?
Click to expand...
I would have done exactly the same as you did... But now that I've had time to mull it over in my nice comfy chair...

I'd say that she might have needed those cigs to get through the tough financial stress she's having, so I would have paid the rest of her bill... and know that God always repays those who give to others (all money really belongs to him anyway, right?)
 
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