This Walgreens cashier did not know her small act of kindness would lead to her life changing forever. After lending a stranger her last $20, she won the internet’s heart and received $20,000 as a result of a GoFundMe.
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Working as a cashier can often be a thankless job. As a sea of customers goes in and out, there aren’t many that remember their cashier or share more than a greeting with them. Ms. Rita Burns however still brings a positive attitude to her work.
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A cashier at Walgreens in Houston, Texas, Ms. Rita Burns was going about her normal workday when she saw a customer Rina Liou in distress.
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Rina had stepped out of the house to buy light bulbs but instead of grabbing her wallet, had grabbed her husband’s phone instead.
“I’m just going to make a dash to Walgreens. And I never go there. I go there and I get my light bulbs. And when I went to pay, my heart just sank.”
She tried to figure out the Apple Pay app on the phone to make her payment but to no avail. Rina however did not have to suffer for long as Rita stepped in to make the payment for her.
Rita did not even hesitate considering that it was the last $20 in her account. Rita said, “I just looked up at God and said, I guess I’m going to do it.”
Rita was hoping that the payment would go through wondering if she had enough cash to cover the expenses in the first place.
Rina was mind blown by the generosity, rushed home and came back immediately to repay Rina what she owed. She even added a bouquet of flowers and took a picture.
Rina then shared this wholesome story to Nextdoor where it blew up.
As the story evolved, more and more people recognized Rita and confirmed that they too had witnessed her kindness first-hand.
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One person said, “Rita is the happiest, best employee that Walgreen’s has to offer in normal circumstances.”
And the stories kept on coming. “Rita is the best!! She is such a lovely person and always remembers me by name and always asks how my mom is doing.”
With all the love and respect, it wasn't long before someone set up a fundraiser for Rita and managed to garner $20,500 in her name.
The fundraiser had the caption, “Ms. Rita at Walgreens is a neighbour in the truest sense of the word. When a customer needed to buy lightbulbs in a rush but had forgotten her wallet, Ms. Rita wanted to pay “but only had $20 in [her] account.” When she realized the bulbs were 50% off, she paid without hesitation using her own debit card.”
