Employee Forms A Close Friendship With An Elderly Customer Over Several Years, But She’s Heartbroken To Learn The Woman Has Passed Away
Shutterstock
When you go to work, you expect to do your job and come home to your loved ones, but sometimes you end up building a close relationship with certain customers.
That is what happened in this story when a young lady befriended an elderly customer who came through her checkout counter each week.
Sadly, her friend passed away, but she was touched to learn that she had instructed her family to let her know because she thought so highly of her.
This is a heartwarming story that everyone can relate to. Check it out for yourself.
My little friend Betty
I’ve worked in retail just shy of five years, pretty much straight out of University.
She clearly knows how to do this job very well.
It was one of those “I’ll get a job here and save my money until I can find something better,” but that never really worked out and I’m still there scanning groceries like my life depends on it.
In my store, we have a rule where we must ask if the customer needs a hand to pack their bags. Usually though, if there’s a couple together or a small family, I let them sort it themselves instead of holding up my line.
Or, if the customer is of the senior variety or juggling seven babies and half a toddler, sometimes I’ll just grab their bags and save them a job.
This woman sounds very sweet.
This was the case with a little old lady that I served every Saturday morning. For the sake of this story, we’ll call her Betty.
Betty would come to my checkout, I’d take her bags and we’d have a good chin-wag about her week. The lady and myself just seemed to connect, almost as if she was the grandma I never had.
For that brief ten minutes, my checkout lane became her living room where we sat on the couch sipping coffee. I even received a birthday card one time when she learned my birthday was that week.
How devastating.
Sadly, Betty was diagnosed with cancer about two years into me serving her. I was obviously upset, and made a point to give her a hug once I’d loaded her shopping into her kart.
Our chats became conversations on what her doctors had told her, her family and her bucket list. She loved her family dearly, and made of a point of telling them “I’ve fought it before and I’ll fight it again.” What a hero.
Heartbreaking.
Things changed when my shifts were altered and ended up with a Saturday off, something a normal humanoid probably wouldn’t complain about. I didn’t see much of my little friend anymore, and the times I did I was usually off a checkout running around being super busy since I’m now a service host as well as an operator.
Our weekly chats became unscheduled hugs and a speedy ‘I miss you but I’m super busy.’ This week, one of my supervisors sent me a message on my day off to tell me Betty’s family had came in store to see me and ask me to attend Betty’s funeral.
Betty thought very highly of her.
I was devastated to learn Betty had lost her fight and how the last time I saw her, I was just too busy to have a proper conversation like old times. I never knew that last hug would be the actual last hug.
I’m humbled that her family came and told me. After speaking to her daughter in person, I learned Betty had instructed them specifically to let me know she’d passed on and that she thought the world of me.
She just had to share her story.
I plan on attending the funeral to show my respects and give Betty the farewell she deserves. After all, I thought the world of Betty, too.
Every once in a while, we find customers that become beautiful friends. Here’s to Betty, my little friend.
Sometimes you are surprised to develop a real relationship with a customer, and they actually become a friend. Or even family.
Take a look at what the people in the comments had to say about this heartbreaking story.
Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.
It was very touching.
This commenter loves the story.
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a dad who can’t understand why his son can sleep in now that he’s not commuting to the office.
There is no reason to think Betty had a sad existence. But she was certainly a bright spot.
This commenter also has customers with whom he is close.
What a heartwarming story. She will never forget Betty.
Enjoyed this story?
Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.
