Nineteen-year-old Chloe Elizabeth Fiore and her father were shopping for groceries Saturday at Walmart on Zero Street and they had completed their list and were checking out when one of the most frustrating things that could happen occurred.
Chloe - whose family is originally from Fort Smith but has lived in various locations as a military family - had just gotten a new debit card and apparently didn't do the proper procedures when she attempted to activate it. When her card would not work, a customer service manager came over, took their cart and pushed it over to the customer service area.
Chloe said while she was in the midst of a 15-minute conversation with the bank on her cellphone in an effort to get the situation rectified, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"I turned around and there was a man standing there," said Fiore. "He said 'Sweetie...all your groceries have been paid for' and walked off with his wife."
Sure enough, the stranger had footed the bill for their entire $164 purchase.
Chloe said her dad tried to chase him down and thank him for his generosity but the man and his wife were already gone.
"I was shocked," said Fiore. "To think that someone would just step up and do that is amazing."
Fiore said the gentleman looked to be "fiftyish" with short blonde hair and blue eyes. She didn't even get his name.
"It seemed like it was one of those 'pay it forward' deals" said Fiore. "I thanked him in the split second before he walked away, but I would really like him and his wife to know how much I appreciate what they did. I was just stunned."
Fiore said she intends to do what she thought the stranger did...pay it forward when she finds someone in a similar position.
t
"With some much going on in the world, it's nice to know there are still caring and compassionate people out there," said Fiore. "I just hope that he or his wife sees this story and know how much what they did meant to us."
