MARTIN DE RUYTER/STUFF
Stoke Mad Butcher owner Daniel Perrin says it’s not the first time customers have spread cheer in the store.
Paying in advance has brought smiles and seeing recipients receive free groceries and coffee hits.
When people returned to work after the long Matariki weekend last Monday, two women in Nelson made people’s day.
Mad Butcher Stoke employee Chantell Smith said she witnessed something “pretty amazing” when a young family with a newborn had their groceries paid for by a friendly stranger.
While she was at the register, the family stood to the side while Smith continued to serve a few more customers, she said.
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“Then the lady I had just served came back in while I was serving the young family and said, I want to pay for their products today.”
The total bill was about $60, she said, “that’s why we were so blown away”.
“The young couple were very grateful and thanked the lady when she insisted on finalizing the purchase and going.”
Smith said paying in advance was a nice gesture “in these difficult and expensive times.”
“It really made my Monday. I hope that generous lady gets some kindness in return.”
Mad Butcher owner Daniel Perrin said customers radiated glee a few times in the store.
“We also have an anonymous donor who has bought vouchers for us to randomly distribute through the store.
“There are a lot of generous people out there.”
Meanwhile, early Monday, another woman prepaid it at Nelson Airport.
MARTIN DE RUYTER/Things
An early morning cup of coffee was just what Karen de Bruijn needed after her early flight back to Nelson, but she never expected it to be paid for by a friendly stranger.
Karen de Bruijn had just returned from celebrating her birthday in Wellington over the weekend and got up at 4am to fly back to Nelson and go straight back to work.
She said when she went to pay for her flat white at a cafe at Nelson Airport, “they said it was already paid for”.
The customer before her had paid the bill and was still waiting for her coffee on the other side of the counter, de Bruijn said.
“She smiled away when I asked if it was her” and replied that it was.
When De Bruijn thanked her and asked why, the woman answered: “I like to see a smile on people’s faces”.
“She must have paid in cash, because when she got the change, she put it right there in the rescue helicopter jar, as further payment.”
She wondered if her own advance payment might have repaid her.
de Bruijn runs Plinkers Ukulele Group, which has raised more than $3,000 for Nelson Tasman Hospice over the years, she said.
“Sometimes it can be like paying it back. You do these good things in life and sometimes these good things come to you.”