Even the most ordinary errands can turn unexpectedly heartwarming.

While searching for a mid-morning snack, one tall woman shopping at the supermarket found herself recruited into a mundane mission involving croissants, limited English, and a very determined elderly woman.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

Croissants on a high shelf

Last week before work, I was looking for something in my local Sainsbury (high street supermarket in the UK) to deal with the inevitable mid-morning need for snacks.

But then she came across an older shopper, clearly in need.

As I managed to drag myself away from the bakery items, I came across an elderly lady trying in vain to reach the packets of croissants that were on the highest shelf.

She was a little on the small side, so it was a bit of an “on tiptoes with arms above her head” effort.

Once the woman caught sight of her, she must have known she could be trusted.

Anyway, she saw me—5ft10 and a much taller woman—and rather pleadingly pointed at the croissants and repeated, “Long date, long date.”

Not really sure if she thought I worked there or not, and her English was clearly limited, so I don’t think she was being rude.

Lucky for the older woman, this tall shopper is used to helping out with hard-to-reach items.

I’ve been well trained in the art of reaching for unreachable things (from the grand old age of 12, when my second-year senior school biology teacher couldn’t reach the windows in the lab over the bookshelves). I found her a pack of croissants with the longest date from the back of the shelf.

Except she wanted all the longest-date ones. I think I ended up getting her about six packs down.

The older woman didn’t give a traditional thanks, but she still felt appreciated.

I got a little smile in thanks, and then off I went back to my search for snacks.

Think I got some crisps.

It pays off to be tall in more ways than one!

What did Reddit have to say?

A fellow short person chimes in.

This commenter makes a pop culture reference.

Tall people are much appreciated.

Good deeds like this don’t go unnoticed.

In this story, a little extra reach went a long way.

Not all heroes wear name tags.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.