To the man outside of the U-District Trader Joe’s at closing time
last Thursday night:

I was at the front register having a tough time explaining to the
cashier that I had less than $20 left on the cash side of my EBT card
(food stamps and stipend), therefore was not able to use an ATM, and
after three attempts at carefully articulating how the card worked,
while the person in line behind me patiently sighed (as if it were my
fault), I almost gave up in frustration. Perhaps you witnessed the
incident, or maybe you heard me mutter to myself that I loved being
poor. In either case, when I went out with my groceries, I was grabbing
a copy of the latest Stranger when you came up to me and slipped
me a $20, saying, “It looks like you need this more than me.” I was
momentarily stunned, and my first reaction was to tell you I couldn’t
accept it. Instead, I practiced on my issues with accepting or asking
for help and just said, thank you so much. And I meant it.

That sort of kindness, the simple gesture, made my eyes well up
because I was very grateful and very touched. I am struggling right
now, I would rather be working, and you lifted my spirits and restored
my ever-ebbing faith in mankind. You get what you give, what goes
around comes around—I wish you much good karma, if you believe in
that sort of thing. recommended

98 replies on “I, Anonymous”

  3. Usually when I read “I anonymous” it’s about some hapless jackass complaining about something of a bafoonerous nature. This however, made my day.

  5. The best part of this is that it feels fucking good to give someone a hand up when you know they need it as well. Having been on both sides I can really relate to this one.

  6. Oh God, what a bunch of tripe. GET A JOB and good grief, can’t she find a more thrifty store to spend her food stamps at? FOR GOD’S SAKE DON’T HAVE ANY CHILDREN.

  8. Kip, do you have many friends? I hope so, because if you accidentally break a leg and lose your job, you’ll need them to drive you to the Save-A-Lot.

  9. It’s touching that someone was willing to be so good-natured as to help you out, but…I like my peanut butter flavored Puffins and pineapple mango salsa as much as the next person, but perhaps it would be more fiscally responsible to go to a cheaper grocery store right about now.

  11. I dont know about the west coast, but here on the east coast, Trader Joes IS the Cheapest grocery store – if you want real food (veggies, fruits, meats, nuts, grains, etc). However, if you want to eat mass produced crap full of high fructose corn syrup and sodium and fat, then sure, go to the dollar store.

  12. EXCUUUSE ME Roy and Kip — sorry to lump you together — but are you out of your coupon-clippin’ minds? Trader Joe’s is an extremely “thrifty” store to shop at. Their prices are unbeatable! Just try comparing them to Safeway!

  14. Sometimes you go to the store that’s closest to you, even if it’s a little more expensive, because it’s much more difficult to get anywhere else. I don’t know if that’s the case here, but I find it hard to judge without knowing more about the circumstances. And it is a very nice story.

  15. You can’t get much cheaper than a Trader Joe’s – it’s basically a Grocery Outlet with nicer clientele.

    Only a very naive person would think it was upscale….

  16. Yeah, I love it when people hem and haw behind you. They just freak me out and make me to nervous to find the exact change, etc….They make you take longer, if anything.

    *Let’s all ignore Kip Schoning forever ! He’s just a slumlord from Oregon.*

  18. Kip, Trader Joe’s is the cheapest grocery store to shop at in the U-District. Yes, Trader Joe’s has some expensive items–but it also has dirty cheap food as well. When I was going to UW and living on a very modest budget I was able to buy groceries for $30 – $40 a week at TJ’s.

    Also, have you tried getting a job in this market. Count yourself lucky that you have one and that you don’t have to go through the shit storm of trying to find a job in a deep recession.

  20. Hey Kip Schoning – let’s not be all judgemental and douchey. Trader Joe’s can be reasonably cheap, although it’s no WinCo or Grocery Outlet. And, more importantly, this lady (or gent) might have had a steady job and got, ya know, laid off, like 5 people I personally know. S/he might not even have kids, and if s/he does, you have no idea under what circumstances said children were conceived. I know plenty of cases of poorly-planned childrearing, but for the most part, it’s a rough time for everybody (whoo! recession!) and this poor person probably just needs a momentary leg up, as do many others out there. So stop your hating and appreciate the fact that someone was kind enough to help someone else, alright?

  21. I like this one too. I was just feeling terrible before I read it, thinking of all the herpes spreading, chubby mommy hating, narcissistic, cousin screwing shitheads that cheat on people secretly walking among us. I almost forgot I love people so much it hurts sometimes. Thanks.
    And to those dummies who think that Trader Joe’s isn’t thrifty… I’m sorry, but you are just not smart. You can bargain shop there just as easily as anywhere. There are some things I will only buy there because they are so cheap and tasty. Their version of the NutriGrain bar, their flavored tofu, lentil soup, vegetarian sausage patties, I could go on forever. I am poor as fuck, so I know 20 bucks can go a long way at TJ’s. Not on Food Stamps yet, but there’s no shame in it. I’m sure I would be if I wasn’t a single Mom who works all the time and actually filled out the paperwork to get em.
    Where else is she gonna go? That tiny, tiny Safeway down the street? Or to QFC? Yeah right! Those places aren’t thrifty.
    PLUS, a Safeway worker actually told me recently, that the majority of workers there qualify for and use Food Stamps.

  27. One time I went to a WinCo in Oregon and I tried to run my debit card through the machine. When I found out that the swiping machine only took EBT machines, my head nearly exploded. I’m pretty sure that’s because I grew up in Bellevue.

  29. Good Christ!! I don’t know who’s worse, the originator of the column (“issues with accepting”? Really? How about good old fashioned embarrassment at your situation and gratitude for the kindness of strangers? Why the fuck does everything have be “issues”?) or all the idiots who had to pipe up with their opinions of which store is appropriate for a poor person. Though on closer inspection, the clown who took umbridge at someone else using “she” to describe the originator is probably this week’s winner of Taking-An-Innocent-Remark-And-Turning-It-Into-A-Political-Jihad award.
    Asshats.

  31. If you look carefully, the store in question has some really inexpensive nutrition – peanut butter, eggs, milk butter and bread. there are times its much more expensive to get in the car (if you have one ) to go across town to buy cheap bad food. cut some slack.

  34. Not very good shoppers, are you commenters–the ones who think of TJ’s as universally expensive. I’m routinely amazed at the deals I find there. But one does have to hunt for them. Take your kvetching to k-mart instead.

  36. Trader Joe’s is not expensive, unless you’re comparing it to those places that sell dented cans of beans, etc. It may be urban and hip, but it’s actually reasonable.

  37. Trader Joes is generally cheap….frozen vegetables, rice pasta and pasta sauce especially! Much cheaper than QFC. Also their own brand of cereal, butter and milk are really cheap too.

    Stop being absolute trolls and try to see the good in this.

  38. Trader Joes is not expensive!!! A block of tofu is $0.99, as in: LESS THAN ONE DOLLAR for those who are apparently not very good with decimals. Tofu at Safeway is usually no less than $2.99. Whoops, sorry, there are decimals again. That translates to THREE DOLLARS. This means that tofu at Safeway is generally THREE TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE than at TJ’s.

    Learn your fucking math before you start hating on good people put in hard positions.

  39. You can buy cheap stuff at Trader Joe’s. Why should people have to eat inferior food just because they’re poor? Does Trader Joe’s sell in bulk? I know Whole Foods does. I can buy 5 pounds of organic dried beans for about $5 or I can buy less than 5 lbs of wet beans for the same price. That’s not a hard call, but it can’t be done at Sav-A-Lot.

    I hope people with big hearts keep having big hearts. It’s folks like that that inspire folks like me to do more with what little I’ve got to begin with.

  42. Actually, I’ve found T.J to be fairly economical (but I live in NY). To try and give your family organic food even when you’re struggling shows that despite your problems, you’re still keeping their best interests at heart.

  43. I’ve had that happen to me at Grocery Outlet. I only had $25.00 and it had come out to $27.75. These gracoery were going to last me 2 weeks. I had 2 people behind me and someone from the next line came up and gave me the $2.75. It made my day. We all are having hard times but good karma lasts a life time. high five to that person.

  44. It’s nice to know that this recession is inspiring some good.

    I live in Tucson, and Trader Joe’s is undoubtedly cheaper for some things. Especially snacks- it really makes a difference not paying for advertising. Also, random things like olive oil, anchovies, granola and bananas are less expensive there. However, it rarely runs sales, and many things there are much cheaper when they go on sale at the grocery store (meat, butter, milk, tuna, cereal).

  46. This is so typical Seattle [from my experience, at least]! I only lived a brief two years in what I consider one of my most favorite towns and a good part of why I consider it to be one of my favorites is exactly situations such as this. My ex and I were poor, pregnant, and too proud to ask for help, yet everywhere we turned, there were always kind people selflessly giving what they could to us for absolutely no reason at all other than to be kind. It was amazing and I’ve never experienced another city even close to being as collectively kind as Seattle [and I’m from supposedly “friendly” Minnesota!] I eventually want to move back, but until I do, take care Seattle! *mwa!*

  47. Oh my god you guys, read the rest of the comments before you add your unnecessary, “hey, guess what? trader joe’s is actually not expensive.. and i’m probably the first genius to come up with that!” to the pile.

    and Gender Police: first of all, what’s wrong with choosing “she” as a pronoun? do we HAVE to choose “he” by default unless we’re trying to insinuate something? and second, of course it was a girl.

  48. thank goodness for the kindness of strangers. Also to the people how think trader joe’s is high end. I shop there and I save money over some of my local grocery stores. If you know how to shop at Joe’s there is no reason to eat sub-standard foodstuffs

  49. What cheaper store? I’m unaware of a cheaper place to buy staples like eggs, milk, cheese, flour, rice, etc. Not counting costco of course.

  50. “Why should people have to eat inferior food just because they’re poor?”

    This is the stupidest fucking question I have ever read.

  52. “thank you so much” was the perfect response. Learning how to receive graciously is as important as learning how to give graciously.

    This I anonymous made my day.

  54. During the course of 3 carefully articulated attempts did you wonder why a cashier at Trader Joe’s wouldn’t be familiar with how food stamps work?

  56. oh for godsake kip pull your head out of your ass.just because someone is not well off doesn’t mean there shouldn’t eat right.trader joes prices aren’t really that far off from other grocery stores and the food is much better,for u and the environment so if karma does exist u bought some tainted peanutbutter

  58. Trader Joe’s is a cheaper grocery store!! Everthing is private-labeled goods, and that’s why it’s cheap. Thus, you can get more organic, healthy food for a better price.

  62. As grocery stores go, TJs is actually very affordable and Americorp volunteers (who get food stamps to supplement their already very meager incomes) report that without it, they could not live in Seattle. Also, can we stop for a minute and assume that this person knows how to choose cost-effective food stuffs? Peanut butter, pasta, and milk are just as cheap (sometimes cheaper) at TJs as they are at Safeway.

  65. Pay it Forward (the film) made a hash of this concept as do silly bumper stickers that read: Random Acts of Kindness. The reality is if we practiced a little more of this outside the X-mas season, we could figuratively move mountains. Call it Obama-hope disease or what you will, but I have been discussing this concept with all my friends of late. I hope this sort of thing is what common place, rather than the exception.

  67. YES! A little less cynicism, a little more Golden Rule. How is it that we’ve become a community of haters? The truth is that it feels good to do something for someone else. Chemically something happens in the brain that makes us happy… A little less Prozac, a few more good deeds!

  68. i have long believed that this kind of action was precisely the reason why we were put on this earth. it is tough to solve global problems, but reaching out to each other quietly and for no other purpose than to share our common humanity is possible. sadly, too often possible.
    thanks for sharing..

  69. Actually a lot of Trader Joe’s products are better quality AND less expensive than the competition — one example is their salsa. Wife and I compared that with alternatives at Safeway, Giant, Shopper’s (we’re on the East Coast) and TJ’s, despite providing the subjectively tastiest salsa, was also objectively the least expensive. I’m sure they also sell a lot of overpriced crap, but separating that from what’s a good buy is YOUR job, naysayers.

    And also, this post made me smile.

  71. I have actually done something somewhat in the same way. There were two teens in front of me with an ebt card (obviously mom or dads) and they could not cover the expenses. I, myself am a single mother with no help, decided to help. I used my ebt to pay for the kids.
    I am glad that I am not the only person out there like that.

  72. lets imagine you are poor as fuck, now lets imagine that you have food allergies. Are ya with me? If I ended up homeless and begging I would probably starve to death because I cant eat 99% of processed foods. people with fewer food issues still need to watch what they eat.

  74. I find it amusing that so many people falsely assume that it is more expensive to shop at trader joes than at a regular supermarket;clearly if these people were regular shoppers a trader joes they would know that almost all of the items for sale are around 30-60% cheaper than anywhere else. (personal care and cleaning supplies included) But I suppose it sounds better to fabricate some false righteousness when you’re making a crappy remark about someone who recieved some kindness when they were down on their luck.

  76. Yes, Roy, let’s encourage the poor to eat food inferior to that consumed by the rich. That just screams america, doesn’t it?

  78. I wish people wouldn’t let one angry “man” hijack the comment board.

    I think we’ve come to a consensus that TJ’s is cheap. Now let’s move on…

  79. Fuck you Kip.
    Maybe the writer should just rent one of your cheap, moldy, shit hole houses. Of course then you’d just suck them dry of any and all their money, leaving them off in a no better situation.
    I find it funny you’re telling somebody to get a job. I’d hardly consider your business of taking advantage of low income families and students a “job”. Fuck off and go shine your ugly red clown shoes. Nobody wants to hear you opinion.
    *
    Reading this I, Anonymous made me smile. Thank you.

  80. Roy:

    Please don’t criticize someone for how they spend their food stamps. It is not classy, kind, or even helpful. For one month, I lived primarily off of frozen vegetables, frozen ground chuck, and a giant can of beans due to poverty. You bet your ass the moment I got food stamps I bought some shit that was actually palatable from trader joe’s. It’s good to buy staples with FS, but it’s easy for your entire life to begin feeling mean and impoverished if you’re always eating pesticide-ridden gene-altered cheapo garbage from the save $$ stores (which are especially hard to shop at if you have a restricted diet –vegan, gluten-free, etc.)

    I think whoever this I Anonymous is is doing okay. Anyway, at least s/he isn’t shopping at Whole Foods, right?

  82. When my car ran out of gas on the freeway and I slowly crept right up to a gas station before it died altogether (YESSSSS!!!!), I discovered that I’d left my wallet at home (CRAP!!!!). I scrounged just enough change for a dollar’s worth of gas (YESSSSSSSSS!!!!! Just enough to get me home!) to give to the person behind the counter. I was counting out the nickels and pennies while people waited in line behind me. The lady right behind me plunked down a five. THANK YOU, lady!!

  83. TJ’s is quite cheap- especially for prefabbed meals. I shop for five. TJ’s is my first stop- then Fred Meyers. Their produce is cheaper- hands down. Safeway stores, and likewise, ad prices don’t compare with tj’s apples and bananas. Tj’s offers organic at less then the price then most stores offer the pesticide produce. I would gladly pay a bit more if only their employees received health bennies and PAID days off- ei x-mas. Both the partner and I are looking at unemployment. We have to scrimp where we can.

  84. How lovely… Thank you for sharing the story and my thanks to your benefactor for adding a little more positive energy to the world… we need all we can get.

  85. And before I forget- Thank you to whomever it was on The Stranger’s staff that chose this submission out of the swamp of foul tirades that are the usual fare for this space… this was a nice change of pace, even though the weekly dose of venom is one of my favorite gulity pleasures.

  87. All these idiots who claim TJ is cheap have apparently not shopped at regular grocery stores. I checked out TJ this weekend just to see how cheap they were, and I was shocked at how pricey everything was. You people need to stop smoking crack and get off your organic hipster high-horses.

  88. Hey Minge, mind telling us exactly what you saw that was pricey? And compared to what other store?

    Maybe you’re just used to your Johns giving you some food with your scratch.

  89. Did anyone one notice that one, maybe two, people wrote about TJ’s being expensive. You all let that ass hijack the entire conversation.

    Oh yeah..(grumble,grumble)NiceIAnon..Jerks

  90. Your shopping at Trader Joe’s with food stamps?

    Has anybody else called bullshit on this yet.

    Why don’t you try out Whole Foods next time.

  91. wait a minute, your poor and shop at traders joes, WTF! U better take your ass on over to the welfare office and get the block of free cheese

  92. Maybe you should shop at Grocery Outlet instead of trader joes if you’re so poor. You’re just wasting everyone’s money you fuckin hippy.

  93. This is a great anecdote, uplifting. If you’re poor, you might try shopping at a grocery store where the prices aren’t so friggin’ high. Jeepers.

  96. Listen to Kip, he know everything!

    Read more about Kip Schoning, a ledgend in his own mind. Google him! It will be fun! There are at least 4 pages of hits (all good reads). Then come back here to vote. Is he in a position to judge who should or should not have kids? Kip has kids, I am sure they will be very proud of daddy (and mommy)when they grow up!

  97. Report as off-topic, spam, false, or abusive.
    Listen to Kip, he know everything!

    Read more about Kip Schoning, a ledgend in his own mind. Google him! It will be fun! There are at least 4 pages of hits (all good reads). Then come back here to vote. Is he in a position to judge who should or should not have kids? Kip has kids, I am sure they will be very proud of daddy (and mommy)when they grow up!

  98. Report as off-topic, spam, false, or abusive.
    Listen to Kip, he know everything!

    Read more about Kip, a ledgend in his own mind. Google him! It will be fun! There are at least 4 pages of hits (all good reads). Then come back here to vote. Is he in a position to judge who should or should not have kids? Kip has kids, I am sure they will be very proud of daddy (and mommy)when they grow up!

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