I was inspired by Zen Habits “Faith in Humanity: How to Bring People Closer, and Restore Kindness” to write this post about paying it forward with my version of how to perform a random act of kindness in the grocery store. I have Georgia to thank for telling me about Zen Habits.
Be a coupon fairy. Here are some random acts of kindness involving giving coupons to strangers that I’ve been performing at the grocery store lately (and you can start doing them too):
- Tape a coupon to the product the coupon is for, walk away for the next stranger to use on their purchase (I carry scotch tape in my purse just for this purpose)
- Have lots of coupons for one product? Set down the stack by the product for anyone to pick up
- Offer a coupon to a fellow shopper in the same aisle with you if you notice them looking at a product you know you have a coupon for
- Waiting in the check-out line? If you strike up a friendly conversation with your neighbor in line, offer them some coupons for the items they are purchasing
when i go shopping i take 2 envelopes- one for coupons i plan to use, the other for the pay-it-forward hobby of mine that i like to call Guerrilla Couponing. then if i end up not using any of the coupons already set aside for myself, i add those to the Guerrilla envelope. It's fun, & rewarding.
I ran into a friend this week who was getting food for her daughter's birthday that night. I had a $1 off 1 coupon for crescent rolls that expired in 2 days, and offered it to my friend. She was so glad to have it, because she didn't have time to bake rolls for dinner that night.
I leave coupons alot. If I decide not to use them
Oh I do this too! I just never thought of it as a Pay It Forward type thing…I’ll leave coupons by products I change my mind about, or offer them to young Mom’s like me in Walmart for diapers or formula.I love Pay It Forward – always makes me feel good and you know you are helping someone by doing something so simple.
I too have left coupons for future customers before, and have always felt good doing it. But let me tell you about the good deed done TO me today!I was grocery shopping w/my 9 month old who was getting fussy. I struck up a conversation with the older couple behind me in line. When it was my turn to put groceries on the belt, baby boy would not let me put him down & screamed if I tried. The woman put all my groceries on the belt for me so I could hold him and he wouldn’t scream!Now how nice was that?