DO YOU offer to help strangers?

[doxdogy]

I actually enjoy helping others. It just gives me a good feeling inside.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Yup. Just today I helped an old guy who was having trouble getting his groceries into the car.

Learned it from dear old Dad, by example. When people need help, you help them. That's just what you do.

 

[mamajoan]

yes of course....It does alot for me too!

to be honest I find it more difficult to accept help....

God Grant me patience with my own difficulities.....

 

[C.Ann]

Yes I do - it was the way I was raised and it's simply the "right thing to do"..

I get very annoyed when I see other people ignoring someone who obviously needs assistance in some form or another..

 

[RitaZ.]

You bet!

I remember being in a store with my oldest child years ago, he must have been 6 or so. I helped a man that was struggling to put a big box in a shopping cart, his cart kept getting away from him. I saw this and immediately went to help him. The man thanked me, but the best part was what my son said to me. "Mom, it's was nice of you to help that man". That's when I realized the impact my actions have on my kids, even when they're not directed at them.

 

[lowie]

when i get the chance to help i always do. i would never not hold a door open or offer an elderly person with their groceries. it's kinda of second nature to me in that i'm just so used to seeing the signals that someone needs assistance because i'm so used to helping my husband (who is legally blind)
it also really warms my heart to see others being helpful, because i so often see people not willing to be helpful to my husband.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Yes. I always open the door for people or hold it open for people behind me. I let people with less than me (items in a store) go ahead of me. I am very observant and courteous for drivers (especially patient ones). Oh, and I always take the dishes out of the sink before my husband pees in it!

 

[Shugardrawers]

I try to whenever possible. It's just the right thing to do. I have noticed the times I obviously needed help very few people offered.

Dawn, just a tip I learned when I had my rotator cuff repair: pull the grocery cart behind you with your good arm. MUCH easier than pushing

 

[AprilShowers]

This is a very timely post. Just yesterday I was struggling at Lowe's. I was buying 6' sections of that wire mesh shelving. I was having trouble keeping it in the cart because it was wrapped in plastic.

It kept slipping and sliding everywhere.....not to mention that it's 6' long. I had 4 sections of it, and several smaller sections of shelving. So I'm pushing my cart along and the whole thing just crashes to the ground. Everything falls off the top of the cart.

I'm fumbling with the stuff cause it's slippery (and BIG) trying to get it back in the cart, there's no good spot to grab it cause it's wrapped in plastic. I must have looked ridiculous. I'm blocking the entire aisle.

Along comes a good samaritan (or so I thought) This guy was looking right at me and looked as though he might help me. I stood up and met his gaze.

He stepped right over the mess and kept right on walking!!!!! I was FLOORED. There is NO WAY that I would have left someone struggle like that and kept on walking by. He wasn't the only one either! Several more, clerks even!
What's the world coming to?

 

[HappyLawyer]

a few years ago there as an old lady at the bus stop and it began to rain, i gave her a ride home, of course she offered to pay but i said no. Now i cannot say i would do it again because things and people these days are crazy, you cannot trust anyone.

 

[Hercules10]

I only help the really hot chicks (along with the other dozen horn-dawgs offerring their help)!

 

[Ginamarie]

I try to help when I see the need. Last week I saw an elderly couple trying to load their car at BJs. Since it's a wholesale store, all the boxes are huge and tough to handle. So I helped load up their car and put their cart away. They seemed really happy.

Of course a lot of people turn a blind eye! I was struggling to get into my office building today with three bags, a box and my baby in her carrier seat, and this whole group of guys didn't offer to open the door for me even though they were standing about 5 feet away from it. I couldn't believe how rude that was.

 

[AprilShowers]

I only help the really hot chicks (along with the other dozen horn-dawgs offerring their help)!

I know you were just teasing with this post, but as I was struggling with those darned shelves at Lowe's yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder that if I was a 21 year old size 2 leggy blonde..................

 

[Serena]

I do it all the time. At work I have lots of opportunities too. There are a lot of older ladies and women with children and usually they are really grateful for help.
LOL, I dare say I'm pretty good at getting little ones to stop crying.

 

[Narnian_Princess]

I try to help people, but I'm usually too shy to ask if they need help. If it's obvious, like a mom with four little kids in tow trying to open a door or an old lady in a power chair looking longingly at the top of the shelf in the grocery store, I'll help. But I get shy or even scared in some cases, and I just leave it be. I know I shouldn't, but I do.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I try to help people, but I'm usually too shy to ask if they need help. If it's obvious, like a mom with four little kids in tow trying to open a door or an old lady in a power chair looking longingly at the top of the shelf in the grocery store, I'll help. But I get shy or even scared in some cases, and I just leave it be. I know I shouldn't, but I do.

If you're scared, you shouldn't help. Trust those instincts.

But if you're just shy, that's easy. Today with the old guy in the grocery parking lot, I noticed that he was bending slowly and grimacing while trying to get the bags out of the cart. I stopped and said, "Excuse me," he looked up...then I said, "Let me help you with that," while looking at him, then quickly bent down and got to work.

People who really need help will thank you for it. That guy shook my hand. Very often, they explain why they couldn't do it...sometimes they explain it for like 5 or 10 minutes, so be ready to cut them off if you're in a hurry.

 

[texasthree]

I try to be helpful when I can. I did ask an elderly women in the walmart parking lot if she needed help putting her dog food in the trunk and she wasnt happy about that! She said I can do it myself, I am old not dead. Oops!

 

[Mysteria]

As long as I notice it I will help. I would like to think that is the vast majority of the time but I am not perfect...sometimes I am caught up in my own little world and miss it.

Myst

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Yes i do, but i'm not always aware of it. It's more like second nature KWIM?

 

[spazzyjazzy]

Yes, I help out as much as I can. I work in customer service at a courthouse and older (really old) gentleman came in and wanted to know where his courtroom was. I knew that he would not be able to find it on his own so, I offered to take him. I let my lead know what I was doing and walked him to the elevator, took him to the basement and walked him all the way into the courtroom. I went up to the clerks desk got a sheet of paper wrote my name on it and gave it to him. I told him that if he felt that he could not make it up on his own to give that sheet of paper to the clerk and she would call me to go get him. He gave me a big ol' smile and thanked me. He said that he would not have made it on his own to the courtroom and he thanked me again. I help out in the grocery stores as much as I can especially mom's who have their hands full already, older folks, and with me being bilingual I help with that also.
My husband has an appearance that you would not think that he would be a very gracious and helpful person. But, he always helps. Even when the workers at stores don't offer he will always offer help. He shocks the heck out of people when he offers but, he always does.
The other day we were turning onto another road and it looked like a car had stalled and as my husband was about ready to pull over we saw another car had already pulled over and a young man about the age of 13 jumped out of the car and started pushing the car towards the corner store. That made me smile to see someone so young help someone out.