In the midst of her worst day ever, Cape Town resident Robyn’s luck took a turn when a kind-hearted stranger named Ezra went above and beyond to recover her forgotten groceries and restore her faith in humanity.
Western Cape, South Africa (16 August 2023) – Cape Town, known for its breathtaking landscapes and vibrant culture, can still throw a curveball at its residents from time to time. Robyn Gwilt, a resident of Fish Hoek, had one such week that began with the kind of misadventures we often hear about only in sitcoms.
From international credit card mishaps to unexpected transfers and an unauthorized account login, Robyn’s week spiralled into a maelstrom of stress and uncertainty. But in the grand tradition of life’s unexpected turns, just when it seemed like things couldn’t get any worse, a ray of light broke through the clouds. And this ray of light came in the form of a kind-hearted stranger named Ezra.
Robyn’s misadventures culminated in what she called her “worst day ever.”
“This week was a tad crazy, started with a ‘purchase’ on my credit card from Spain it seems – so I had that shut down uber-quickly! I also had some funds transferred into my account, (legit) and swiftly transferred them out again into a money market, thinking it was safe – only to have someone LOG ON to my account on Monday morning at 11:19, whilst I was driving! I pulled over quicker than a taxi on a short left and shut that down telephonically via ABSA’s fraud department very smartly,” Robyn explained to Good Things Guy.
After dealing with credit card fraud and the unauthorized transactions, Robyn headed to her local ABSA branch, only to be met with long queues. Deciding to take a breather, she made a quick trip to Woolworths Longbeach for some groceries to ease her stress. With a cart full of essentials and a heart full of hope, she headed back to her car, parked in the free underground parking lot.
As luck would have it, her groceries never quite made it from the cart to her car’s trunk. In the hustle and bustle of a chaotic day, she left her precious groceries behind, imagining that her food might become an unplanned feast for opportunistic thieves or a sign from the universe itself.
Enter Cecil, a manager at Woolworths who sensed Robyn’s distress. After a heartfelt conversation with her and realizing her predicament, Cecil sprung into action. Robyn headed home to charge her dying phone and then something amazing happened.
“I left him my number, headed home to administer CPR to said iPhone whilst Eskom still allowed it, and sure as nuts (as my Granny would have said) Cecil phoned me about 10 mins later and said ‘I have your bag, it’s safe! And… as is Woollies policy, we’ve no idea how long it had been lurking lonely-like in the dark of the basement, so he had whizzed around the store, and replaced ALL my meat/perishables with fresh out the fridge like-for-like stuff!’ My flabber was gasted – and I asked who’d brought the package up, to which he replied the Trolley Guy named Ezra!'”
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From English to Afrikaans, Kyle Hex Is Owning the Public-Speaking StageWhen Robyn returned to the scene of her grocery mishap, she met Ezra, the “Trolley Guy” who had played a role in turning her day around. The warmth and humility in Ezra’s demeanour were enough to alleviate the lingering stress from her calamitous day. Ezra, embodying the values of honesty and kindness, proved that the spirit of goodness resides in every corner, even the corners of a parking garage.
“I asked him if I could take a pic, as I wanted to put him all over Facebook and highlight his absolute honesty and decency. We know it’s the right thing to do, but in these times, when everyone is struggling, it was great to know that Woolies honesty policy, across the board, reaches right the way through to The Trolley Guy and they all stick to it!
Cecil said they discourage rewards and that Woolies encourage the honesty thing, and have their own reward/acknowledgement system, which is great to hear!
Anyway, long story short – meet Ezra and I’ve included a pic of some of the items from my trolley, AND the rescued bag!”
Robyn’s final piece of advice when retelling us the story is to “never shop when you’re stressed and the world is trying to tell you to put your money in your Phala Phala couch cushions!”
Remember, it’s the small acts of honesty and kindness that create ripples of positivity in an often chaotic world. Thank you, Ezra, for being that bright spot in Robyn’s stormy day. And thank you, Robyn, for sharing your story and reminding us all that even in our worst moments, there’s always room for a bit of goodness.
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