Costco shopper's bid to help the homeless goes over budget — then a Christmas miracle happens

A lot of people often come across deals and return policies at Costco that seem unreal, but it's the last place where someone would expect to find a Christmas miracle. A shopper got one of the greatest gifts of the holiday season while trying to do a good deed at Costco. Taking to Reddit, the anonymous shopper from Colorado, who went to her local store to purchase eight winter coats to donate to the homeless, shared that they were almost walking back to the shelves as the price of the coats had gone up more than they were hoping for. However, they got help from a generous manager, who stepped in at the counter to help.

Taking to Costco's unofficial forum on the platform, r/Costco, the user, u/WhichWayDoIWander, shared the beautiful story. “The manager at my Costco did something amazing today,” the shopper wrote, before adding, “I was purchasing winter coats to give away as gifts to a homeless shelter. There were two conflicting prices being advertised. I decided to fill my cart with coats, hoping that they would ring up at the lower price, and unfortunately, they did not." The shopper explained that the discounted price applied to a different style of coats that were on clearance, thus, the price of the coats turned out to be more than what they expected.

As the mismatch in prices came to light at the counter, the shopper shared the reason for the purchase with the cashier, hoping to get some relief. “I mentioned I was buying the coats for a shelter and the Costco manager discounted the coats down to the clearance price of the other coat for me, which ended up being a 60 percent discount,” they wrote. Thus, with the discount, the shopper shared that they were able to purchase "eight coats for the price of three." "I wouldn’t have been able to afford eight at the higher price, so thanks to the wonderful folks at Costco, eight ladies will stay warm this Christmas season," they wrote in the end.

The post gained widespread support, going viral on the platform with over 28,000 upvotes. Other shoppers chimed in to put in a word of appreciation for the manager and Costco as well. "I don’t know if Costco employees get 'make ‘em happy' autonomy, but I appreciate businesses that let their employees do nice things for customers when it doesn’t impact profits in any significant way, but can solidify their brand’s reputation and customer loyalty. I think it also makes employees feel empowered and boost their morale when they can help someone out," wrote u/aknomnoms. 

Speaking to Newsweek, the shopper said, “I think people are looking for positive stories right now. I hope that both the manager and Costco get some positive press for doing such incredible things for the communities that they serve." The shopper added that they were surprised to see the post gain so much attention, but they were happy to see it spark some holiday joy and hoped it would inspire more charitable giving endeavors. "Lots of people were inspired by the post, and some may have even taken it upon themselves to buy coats for charity in other locations across the globe," they said. 

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