Wierd Grocery Store situation....WWYD?

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Okay i was soo lost as to what to do, and I'm wondering if there was something I should have done!

I went to the store last night with DH and the family and we were in the meat department (the very back of the store). A woman walks up to us and is literally shoulder to shoulder with me? it was wierd, but then she asks if she pays for all our groceries with her LINK card (food stamp card), will we give her cash and she will subtract 20$ from the total of the groceries, so it is a good deal for us???

DH said absolutely not and:

"it's a shame that you are abusing the system that way and teaching your kids the same thing!" (her children were in the cart parked next to ours, she cornered us in.

She then said:

"it's not that, i need gas money for the week and i don't get paid until next week and i can't get to work"

Well then DH said:

"we are almost done and you can follow us in your car and I will fill up the tank for you on our credit card, since we don't have any cash on us."

She said:

"never mind, it will take too long" (the grocery store has a gas station attached to it. (Kroger)

She then walked away and up to the next person at the meat section...

Is there something else we could have done? This is totaly abuse of what she has!

 

[mommasita]

I think it was a great idea, and if that is what she really needed, she would have done it in a hearbeat. How sad for her kids to be there with her, what a way to grow up..

Great DH you have. Kudos to him, and I pray for that family.

 

[Bob Slydell]

I personally would have just walked away. Your DH went above and beyond that, but obviously, it wasn't gas money that she was looking for (which I assume your DH suspected).

 

[mom2boys]

Good for you & DH. Great lesson for your kids, too.

The only other thing you might have done is alert store management/security. What she is doing is defrauding the government - which we all pay for.

 

[Christopher Robin]

How dare you judge that poor woman. you have no way of knowing her situation. maybe she was just trying to raise cash for a ransom demanded by kidnappers for the release of her poor grandmother.





Nah, just kidding. Good job to your DH.
But others here may actually seriously make the arguement I was jokingly posting.

 

[mrsv98]

Creepy and what a lesson for her kids.

Last fall, I actually called the police on a woman in our grocery store parking lot. She was pulling the classic "I'm out of gas and need to get my son to school" scam. I figured if she really was stuck, they could help her and if not, they would run her off. We have a lot of seniors who come to our grocery and I would be furious if she ripped them off (major pet peeve of mine).

 

[WhatATreat]

I think you did the right thing. If it was really gas to get to work that she needed, it was offered to her and she declined. Obviously she wanted the cash, not gas.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

hahah thanks everyone! Yup, DH kinda figured it wasn't about the gas, but in case it was, we did want to help her out.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

The only other thing you might have done is alert store management/security. What she is doing is defrauding the government - which we all pay for.
__________________

This is what i was thinking if i should have done, but i wasn't sure what they could have done if anything.

Last fall, I actually called the police on a woman in our grocery store parking lot. She was pulling the classic "I'm out of gas and need to get my son to school" scam. I figured if she really was stuck, they could help her and if not, they would run her off. We have a lot of seniors who come to our grocery and I would be furious if she ripped them off (major pet peeve of mine).
__________________

oh that would have made me so mad too!

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

You and your DH did the right thing. What she was asking was not only dishonest, but illegal. It was above and beyond for your DH to even offer to fill up her tank. She was obviously up to no good.

 

[Traveliz]

I agree -- I would have told the manager - there was a reason she was doing that at the back of the store! She didn't want to be seen or found out!

Liz

 

[binny]

I think your husband had the perfect answer

If she needed the help then she would have taken him up on it. Obviously that wasnt her intent.

 

[Darth Cupcake]

I think you and your DH did the right thing. Your offer was to give genuine help without judgment and yet not reward the dishonest and illegal action she proposed.

 

[Linnie The Pooh]

What a thing to have happened!!! I would never have even thought of abusing the system the way that woman is! You handled it perfectly.

 

[Queen Quinnella]

If she really needed the gas she would have taken you up on your offer. Kudos to you and DH on how you handled it.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

This goes hand in hand with the other welfare thread. It's a perfect example of deceict and abuse of the system.

Good for you for not enabling her.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

thanks for all the responses! i guess there really was not too much more that i could have done! i was just so surprised i didn't know what to do! At least if there is ever a next time, i will mention it to the store manager.
Thanks again!!

 

[sam517]

How dare you judge that poor woman. you have no way of knowing her situation. maybe she was just trying to raise cash for a ransom demanded by kidnappers for the release of her poor grandmother.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

Okay i was soo lost as to what to do, and I'm wondering if there was something I should have done!

I went to the store last night with DH and the family and we were in the meat department (the very back of the store). A woman walks up to us and is literally shoulder to shoulder with me? it was wierd, but then she asks if she pays for all our groceries with her LINK card (food stamp card), will we give her cash and she will subtract 20$ from the total of the groceries, so it is a good deal for us???

DH said absolutely not and:

"it's a shame that you are abusing the system that way and teaching your kids the same thing!" (her children were in the cart parked next to ours, she cornered us in.

She then said:

"it's not that, i need gas money for the week and i don't get paid until next week and i can't get to work"

Well then DH said:

"we are almost done and you can follow us in your car and I will fill up the tank for you on our credit card, since we don't have any cash on us."

She said:

"never mind, it will take too long" (the grocery store has a gas station attached to it. (Kroger)

She then walked away and up to the next person at the meat section...

Is there something else we could have done? This is totaly abuse of what she has!

this is a joke if not thats really sad and messed up but good for you for offering to help her with the gas

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

this is a joke if not thats really sad and messed up but good for you for offering to help her with the gas

I wish it was a joke, it's not. Why would i post that as a joke? that would be really wierd.