Age 19 Walmart Cashier Pays Woman's $110 Total from Own Pocket After She Couldn't Pay
It takes a lot of effort to ensure the holidays are merry and bright. Christmas doesn’t just happen: it relies on individuals working together to draw out the holiday spirit.
There’s a lot of pressure to celebrate in particular ways. Trees, lights, decor, presents, food… it adds up, and can put a lot of financial strain on a person.
One woman in Princeton, Texas, received an unexpected windfall when a young man stepped up and blessed her in the form of her Walmart charge.
John Lopez Jr. is 19 years old and started working at the Princeton Walmart earlier this year so he could save up for college. He’s a cashier, and is known for his positivity and cheer throughout the year.
“I make it my goal to at least in one way make someone smile,” he told CBS 11.
On Dec. 17, the unnamed woman found herself at John’s checkout, faced with a $110 bill that she knew she couldn’t foot. Unsure what to do, she broke down in line.
“She started crying and I was like ‘okay I got you, I got you,'” Lopez Jr. said. “I just felt in my heart that the Lord told me I had to help her.”
“My parents basically taught me if someone needs help you should be able to help them and if someone is down, bring them up.”
Other shoppers saw what he did, and it warmed their hearts. Laci Simms documented the exchange and posted the story to Facebook to get Lopez Jr. some of the recognition he deserved.
“I just witnessed this ‘kid’ pay for a cart of merchandise for a woman in obvious distress about her inability to pay,” Simms wrote. “She was a few people ahead of us and when she had trouble paying her bill he stepped in and told her if she’d wait he would pay her total.”
“Ya’ll, it was $110 dollars! If you have never had the pleasure of going through John’s checkout line at the Princeton Walmart, please seek him out on your next visit.”
“He is always singing, up beat, courteous, joyful and efficient. I dont know John’s story, but I dont think he is even 20 years old. He just renewed my faith in humanity and the generation we are raising! Everyone share this so the world knows what a blessing John is to our community!”
It didn’t end there, though. More people who were impressed with this young man’s story decided to band together and try to raise college money for him. Their GoFundMe goal is $50,000. So far they’ve raised $35,000.
“This year I’d like to keep the Christmas spirit alive by giving back to this youn (sic) man,” wrote Brandon Weddle on the fundraising page. “I recently saw a post where this cashier at Walmart paid for a ladies groceries who was obviously in need.”
“The bill was not a small one. No questions asked. He gave selflessly. It was made public.”
“The comments that I’ve seen about this gentleman is extraordinary. He touches a lot of lives on a daily basis. I’d like to give back to him for constantly giving himself to our community. Any little bit would be much appreciated. He is also trying to save money to put himself into college. Let’s come together as a community and pay Johns tuition. He will do big things! Merry Christmas and God Bless!”
The best part about this is that Lopez Jr. acted purely out of kindness. He wasn’t motivated by influencing people with his story or getting something in return, he was just doing something genuinely nice, and now it looks like his dreams of college are going to become reality.
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