A mum-of-four was helped at the checkout by a stranger who paid for part of her food shop amid the UK's stockpiling crisis.
Sophie Gowing realised she had overspent her weekly budget when she got to the till at the Morrisons in Alershot, Surrey.
The 34-year-old had had to splash out on more expensive items than usual because of shortages on the shelves caused by coronavirus stockpiling, Get Surrey reported.
She had exceeded her usual £60 limit by £22.
Miss Gowing said: “I only have a certain amount of money to spend, which is not a lot. The lady at the till said ‘that’s £82, please’. I thought, what?
“I never go over, when you are on a budget you always have to be careful and I always am.
"I turned around and said I think I am going to cry. I was so embarrassed, I had to put £22 worth of food back.
“I thought, how am I going to put that back and choose which items make up £22? I did not know what to do and thought I was going to have to just leave the trolley. I was crying.
“Then the man came up behind me and whispered in my ear, so I wouldn’t be embarrassed, and said ‘don’t worry I’ll pay the rest – will £20 work?’"
A member of staff kindly offered to give Miss Gowing her staff discount, meaning she could afford the payment.
Miss Gowing added: “Then I had some change and I offered to give it to the man, but he said 'you keep it for yourself, you need it more'. And it really did help me with the rest of the day.”
The pair had been chatting in the checkout queue beforehand.
“He was lovely. I wanted to get his name but I was so embarrassed and it all happened so quickly," she said.
“He looked over 60, he had told me he had leukaemia two years ago too. He mentioned his lovely grandchildren, too."
Miss Gowing said the situation with coronavirus is making life “really hard”.
She had set out for the food shop to make sure she had enough for the children next week, as they wouldn’t be in school.
She added: “If he hadn’t have given me that money, I would have left with nothing, because I was so ashamed and worried I was wasting people’s time.
"The shop will last us a week rather than running out by Sunday now.”
Miss Gowing, who has four children aged between one and 16, said it was “really good to see”.
