Struggling Mom at Kohl’s Cashier Realizes She Lost Her Card–Then Kind Act Brings Her to Tears

Kohl's on Bald Hill Road in West Warwick, Rhode Island (Screenshot/Google Maps)

A couple is being recognized for their random act of kindness toward a stranger that took place at a Kohl’s department store last month.

Few things are more embarrassing than realizing you don’t have a method of payment when you’re at the front of the line at a store. It’s even worse with a screaming toddler in arms.

A West Warwick mom had decided to go shopping for her daughter’s birthday present at the Kohl’s on Bald Hill Road. Armed with a $25 gift card, Mikalina O'Connor picked out a toy for her.

(Courtesy of Mikalina Greene)

The pink Minnie Mouse shopping cart they picked out was one of the only presents her 1-year-old, Christine Greene, would receive that year.

However, while standing in line, O’Connor realized she had accidentally lost the gift card and didn’t have another method of payment. Understandably, she was frantic.

“I’m holding my wallet with the gift card as I’m about to approach the gift card, I go to pull the gift card I realized that I dropped it,” she told ABC. “I turned around, I asked, ‘Did anyone find a gift card that says ’baby‘ on it?’ She was screaming in the stroller, I was trying to calm her down. That’s when it must have slipped.”

(Mikalina O'Connor Facebook post on September 22 (Screenshot/Mikalina Greene))

“I circled that line about 3-4 times looking high and low under all the tables and racks,” the mom later captioned in a Facebook post on Sept. 22.

The gift card was nowhere to be found.

Struggling with a screaming toddler, O’Connor felt defeated. Money is tight for the young mom, who also cares for her grandparents, aged 95 and 96.

“We were only able to get her a little piggy bank and water spout type toy for the tub and that was it,“ O’Connor said. ”I was going to use that card to buy an actual toy for her, one she would enjoy.”

Then, something unexpected happened that saved the day: a couple approached and insisted on paying for the toy.

“They gave me the gift receipt and then they were just like, ‘Here’s this toy for your daughter. We’re not going to let her go without,’ and that’s when I looked at him and said, ‘Thank you so much, that was her birthday gift.’”

(Courtesy of Mikalina Greene)

Moved by the kind act, and feeling as though her mere “thank you” at the store had been inadequate, O’Connor took to social media and posted a heartfelt letter addressed to the stranger and his wife.

“I didn’t want his act of kindness to go unknown,” she said. “I was hoping by posting on Facebook people would do their thing and find him.”

In a lengthy thank you, she added, “You Sir, and your lovely wife made me cry!!!”

Incredibly, her post came around to the stranger, who turned out to be a local man named Rick Caron.

“No need for thanks Mikalina,” Caron replied. “Happy birthday to your daughter.”

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at [email protected]