A mum who couldn't afford to pay for her food at the supermarket checkout was rescued by a kind stranger.
Sophie Gowing found due to stockpiling she ended up buying the more expensive brands which took her over her usual budget.
The mum-of-four has said that she "would've been left with nothing" if it wasn't for the stranger's gesture, reported Surrey Live.
Miss Gowing ended up doing her shop in Morrisons, Aldershot, because "there was no food" in the Tesco store she usually goes to.
The 34-year-old's usual budget is £60 and when her shopping total was more than that, she started panicking.
Miss Gowing, from Ash, said: “I only have a certain amount of money to spend, which is not a lot. The lady at the till said ‘that’s £82, please’. I thought, what?
“I never go over, when you are on a budget you always have to be careful and I always am. I turned around and said I think I am going to cry. I was so embarrassed, I had to put £22 worth of food back.
“I thought, how am I going to put that back and choose which items make up £22? I did not know what to do and thought I was going to have to just leave the trolley. I was crying.
“Then the man came up behind me and whispered in my ear, so I wouldn’t be embarrassed, and said ‘don’t worry I’ll pay the rest – will £20 work?’”
Also offering to come to Miss Gowing's rescue a member of staff offered to give Miss Gowing their staff discount to reduce the total too, and with their help she could make the payment.
Miss Gowing said: “Then I had some change and I offered to give it to the man, but he said you keep it for yourself, you need it more. And it really did help me with the rest of the day.”
They had been chatting in the checkout queue beforehand.
“He was lovely. I wanted to get his name but I was so embarrassed and it all happened so quickly," she said.
“He looked over 60, he had told me he had leukaemia two years ago too. He mentioned his lovely grandchildren, too."
Miss Gowing said the situation with coronavirus is making life “really hard” and with her children aged between one and 16 home from school she needed to make sure the cupboards were fully stocked.
She added: “If he hadn’t have given me that money, I would have left with nothing, because I was so ashamed and worried I was wasting people’s time. The shop will last us a week rather than running out by Sunday now.”
Miss Gowing is extremely grateful and would like to find the stranger to say a big thank you.
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