‘Struggling’ mother-of-two praises kind-hearted stranger who stepped in to pay for her weekly shop when she ran out of money at Aldi and asked the cashier to stop scanning her groceries
- Francesca Jay, from Stockport, told Aldi cashier to stop scanning at £50 limit
- Onlooker then offered to pay for the rest of her shopping after items left behind
- Ms Jay said she is struggling with rising food prices for herself and two children
A ‘struggling’ mother-of-two has revealed how she had her groceries bought by a kind-hearted stranger after running out of money at Aldi.
Francesca Jay, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, only had £50 on hand for her weekly shop and was forced to ask the cashier to stop scanning when the total price of her shopping basket continued to rise.
But a stranger stepped in and offered to pay for the rest of her shopping, including some bread, vegetables and ice lollies for her children Sophie, seven, and William, four.
Francesca Jay, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, with her children Sophie and William
Ms Jay said: ‘I went in knowing I only had £50 to shop. I did my shopping, not thinking it would come anywhere near £50 as it never usually does, but as it got nearer at the till I asked the man serving to stop scanning at £50.
‘I said “I’m sorry and I can’t have those so please stop the shop there”, to which he did.
‘My son was behind me and must have heard me say put the ice lollies back and a lady next to me on the next till came over and said she had seen my sons face drop and would like to pay for them.
‘I thanked her and so did my son but she then saw the other bits of shopping and paid for those too.’
The mother-of-two said she repeatedly checked with the woman that she was sure about the kind gesture, to which she reassured her that she was.
‘She said that she had been in this situation before and was more than happy to pay for it. I think it came up to about £6,’ Ms Jay said.
Francesca Jay, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, knew she only had a limited amount of money for her weekly shop when she entered the supermarket with her children. Pictured: Stock image
‘This means the world to me because I have always tried to be nice and kind and have paid for people’s stuff before quite a few times.’
The mother-of-two admitted she has been struggling lately, as much of Britain faces a significant and troubling cost of living crisis.
‘I really try to be kind all the time and almost lost faith in humanity because I always seem to get shot down,’ she said.
‘For someone to help in small ways makes you feel so, so elated. She didn’t have to do that but I could tell it was genuine generosity.’
One of the items the woman had paid for was a six pack of drinks – which Ms Jay put in her trolley after seeing a young man outside who asked her for any spare change.
As she had no cash on her, she instead offered to buy him a drink but hadn’t realised the cost of her shopping had risen, meaning she wouldn’t be able to afford it all.
She said: ‘I gave the lad outside his drinks and he was really shocked I’d gotten him a six pack.
‘I told him he wouldn’t have had them if it wasn’t for the lady getting the rest of my shopping. We looked for her but I think she drove off.
‘I am always nice to people and try and help as best I can. I am really struggling, as we all are, so was so nice for someone to do something for me.’