When working at a retail store, you often have dozens, or even hundreds of interactions with customers every day.

Sometimes, however, you have one that ends up being far more important than the others.

In this story, a sporting goods worker helped a young customer get ready for cub scouts, which changed his life forever.

How to change a kid’s life in 20 minutes

This story starts long ago in the dim ages, when bear and bison swarmed the forest and the prairie. Or about 2004, which ever you prefer.

Sporting goods stores can be a great place to shop.

I was working at a sporting goods/automotive store at the time, at the customer service counter. A father and his son, who appeared to be about 11, came in and asked where the camping equipment was.

I pointed them towards the two areas that held our camping merch, and was about to go about doing something else boring when the boy piped up, “I’m going on my first Boy Scout campout!”

Eagle Scout is quite an accomplishment.

Now, if you’ve read my other stories, you’ll know that I’m an Eagle Scout. I take this position very seriously, and will do everything in my power to encourage and help young scouts on their trail to Eagle.

So, I looked over at my boss, a nice lady who hired me because of my outdoor experience in scouting, and asked if I could go help these people personally. She smiled and said yes.

Good thing this guy was here to assist.

The father was COMPLETELY out of his element with camping gear. By his attitude and behavior, I would guess that he had never gotten further out of the city limits than a highway in his life.

Everything in the aisle perplexed him, but thankfully his son’s troop had given them a list of what equipment they’d need.

What a kind salesman.

So, for about 20 minutes or so I went through the list with them, point by point, explaining what each thing was, what it did, what version to use, and how Kybo Tape is the scout term for toilet paper. That got quite a bit of laughter.

During this time I also talked with the kid. He was very new to scouting, only having joined a couple months prior.

Scouting is a wonderful experience for kids.

He was enthusiastic about getting to go out into the wilderness and camp and make campfires and fish and all the other activities he’d heard about.

I talked about my experiences in scouting, which was all of what he was talking about and so much more.

This Eagle Scout had some amazing adventures.

Climbing Mt Hood, going to National Jamboree, touring military bases, rafting down the Deschutes, the kid was very impressed. I kept telling him, “this is only the start, you have no idea how awesome it can get.”

So, we finally have a cart filled with a small tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment, small first aid kit, beginner backpack, rope, shovel, water bottle, etc etc etc. Quite a haul, but I’d done my best to get everything that the kid would need while still keeping things cheap. Well, cheap-ish.

Not too bad for how much stuff they got.

The total was something like a bit over $200.

Now, they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but if I could have taken a picture of the dad’s face when the total came up, it would be worth a MUCH longer essay.

$200 can be a lot for some people.

It was a shock/fear/resignation combination that said, “Wow, I didn’t expect it to be this much. But he’s so excited, I can’t tell him no, it would break his heart. Maybe if I just eat ramen for the next couple weeks, I can afford this.”

As dad reached reluctantly for his wallet, I flashed him a smile, looked at my boss, and knocked 20% off the total. “A scout is helpful and kind,” I quoted.

Wow, that was nice of him.

The father thanked me profusely, as did the son. They left with a spring in their step and smiles on their faces.

My boss said, “that was very nice, but don’t ever do that again.”

This was a smart business move too.

I replied, “but boss, you do realized that, from now on, they are going to be in here on a regular basis to buy camping equipment, right? I know that kid’s look, he’s just like me at that age, and he’s going to be spending a LOT of dad’s money here.”

She laughed, agreed, and the deed was put out of my mind as other customers approached.

But wait, there’s more.

But the story isn’t done yet, dear reader! For about a week later, look who comes running through the door, but our little first-time camper, with dad trailing along.

This kid very specifically wanted to see ME, because he had pictures and he wanted to show them to me.

He made a friend for life.

Awwww, sweet! Sure, let’s take a look…hey, I know this camp! I know exactly where you were!

So, we talked about being at that camp, and taking the hike down the hill to the old camp location, and how the fishing in the lake is, and the deer that just don’t care that you are around, and how the chow hall seems to be made mostly of sieves given how drafty it is.

This guy is really good at his job.

We had a brag board up for the hunters who had trophy hunts, so I pinned a couple of the better pictures to the board. This kid beamed with pride, then ran off to use the bathroom.

This is when dad chimed in, and thanked me for a much more personal reason.

Wow, scouting is a great way to bond with his son.

He and the kid’s mom had gone through a fairly nasty divorce, and she had majority custody. Scouting events were one of the few ways that dad could spend extended quality time with his son, and this camping trip had been very good for the both of them.

He got a little choked up about it, as did I. I simply told him, “this is what scouting is all about. ‘Help other people at all times.’ This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

One act of kindness turned into a great customer.

Over the next year+, they became regulars of the store. I knew which troop they were with, a large and active one, so they were pretty consistently in need of various consumable camping supplies.

More pictures got posted to the brag board. His first summer camp saw him earn four merit badges and the Mile Swim badge. I started to volunteer with his troop as a merit badge counselor, and had a great time.

Life happens.

However, real life gets in the way. School, and a couple of new jobs meant I couldn’t devote the time I needed to in order to help his troop out. We basically drifted apart, and the other things going on in my life made me forget about him and his dad.

Until late in 2010. I get a phone call out of the blue. The voice on the other end is deeper, self confident. “Is Osiris32 there?”

I’m sure we all know who is calling.

“Yeah, that’s me, who is this?” It’s that young scout from the store, calling me up to invite me to his Eagle Court of Honor.

I stood there in my kitchen in mute shock. All those memories of helping him out came flooding back. “You better believe I’ll be there. I’ll even try to fit into my old uniform.”

What an amazing accomplishment.

And so, I did. Though I eschewed the shorts and went for pants. This young boy, now turned into a young man, stood tall and proud as they pinned the Eagle Medal to his shirt, recited the Eagle Charge, and gave a short speech thanking people who’d made a difference in his life.

He looked right at me as he gave the speech, pointed me out, and said, “this guy right here, he was the first adult to encourage me. His example as an Eagle was what I followed. I cannot thank him enough.” Tears flowed.

Scouting helped the whole family.

Following the ceremony, I found his dad. Scouting had made both of them better people. He’d decided that being bitter towards his kid’s mom wasn’t what a scout leader (oh yeah, he was now an assistant scoutmaster, the bug bites very hard) should be doing.

This had allowed their divorce to become more amicable, and they had successfully renegotiated custody some time earlier.

Now that is a proud father.

He was a happier man, and was so proud of his son I was pretty sure his chest was going to burst. His son, now tall, strong, confident, and an obvious leader, was destined to go places.

He would be graduating high school the next spring, and was looking at getting into college for a degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice. He wanted to live his Oath and Law by being a police officer. My own chest felt like it was going to burst at this point.

He’ll make a great cop.

I still keep in touch with him. He’s now coming up on his 21st birthday, and is readying applications for various police departments around town. I’ve already told him that I’d gladly be his reference, because he’s one of the guys we all want to become a cop, someone with a strong and steadfast sense of duty, honor, integrity, generosity, and kindness of spirit.

He’ll make a fine officer, and I can say that a little part of that, just a little part, is because of my willingness to help him choose tents one day several years ago.

What an incredible story. It really shows that even the smallest actions can change lives for generations.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about it.

This commenter is an Eagle scout.

This commenter is absolutely correct.

Here is a proud parent of young scouts.

Girl Scouts is another great organization.

Yup, scouting is still great for many people.

Scouting is a wonderful thing for young men.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.