Hero couple pay for pensioner’s shopping
‘MOST OF THE STUFF WAS FROM THE REDUCED AISLE...IT FELT GOOD TO BE HELPING’
A KIND-HEARTED couple have been praised after paying for a pensioner’s supermarket shop when his card was declined.
Gavin Woodward and Lisa Vella were behind the Tutbury man in the queue at Asda in Uttoxeter when they saw he was having problems paying for his shopping.
Visibly upset and panicking, he was taken to the customer service desk as Gavin and Lisa bought their items.
Pym and Wildsmith worker Lisa, 27, said: “I saw how much he was struggling and I can’t stand seeing people struggle.
“We paid for our stuff and went back to the car, but Gav could tell I was worried. He just said ‘what’s the matter with you?.’
“I couldn’t go home without knowing that man was OK, so I sent Gav back in to pay for his shopping.”
Gavin, who works at Hatton’s Nestle factory, described his other half as “a bit of a saint”.
He said: “I noticed most of the stuff he was buying was from the reduced aisle and that might have been his whole weekly shop as far as we knew.
“I asked if he wanted me to pay for it and he was quite emotional; so thankful.
“To be fair, it made me pretty emotional as well. It felt really good to be helping someone like that.
“He asked for my details so he could pay me back, but I just said ‘don’t worry about mate’ – it was only just over £26.
“We just didn’t want him to have
I’m not the richest man in the world, but at that moment in time we didn’t need the £30 and he did.
Gavin Woodward
to get the bus back to Tutbury, then get the bus back to Uttoxeter again.
“Particularly with the pandemic, you don’t want elderly people having to go out any more than they need to.”
Hundreds of people have left messages praising the Uttoxeter couple since an Asda worker posted about their act of kindness on Facebook.
Former Thomas Alleyne’s High School pupil Gavin said: “It’s been really nice, but that’s definitely not why we did it.
“The guy needed help – I just thought ‘imagine if it was your own
grandparents.’
“I don’t have any of mine now, so it felt good. I’m not the richest man in the world, but at that moment in time we didn’t need the 30 quid and he did.
“He said something must’ve come out of his account without him knowing; maybe he just couldn’t afford it and was embarrassed.
“Either way, we just didn’t want to see him struggle.”
Asda has been contacted for comment on the couple’s act of kindness, which happened on March 18.