Walmart shoppers sighed as an elderly woman’s card kept declining — until a teen cashier stepped away form the register and left the line speechless
Kindness always pays back. A teenager named Brent Cabahug moved from the Philippines to Minnesota with his family for a better life. As a high school senior, he works part-time at Walmart. While on duty, an elderly customer was struggling to pay as her card kept failing, and people in the queue grew restless. However, Cabahug, who had been saving up to buy himself a car, stepped in and did something that has now won the hearts of many, as reported by WCCO on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
Brent Cabahug moved from the Philippines with his mother and sister to Minnesota. Currently pursuing his senior year at Stillwater Area High School, the teenager works part-time at Walmart, which also marks his first job. During one of his shifts, he noticed an elderly woman coming through the checkout line. Another customer, a mom of four, Dani Dircks, was also in the queue watching everything unfold. The elderly woman was struggling to make the payment, as her card kept declining. Dircks saw what happened next, which left her stunned. Cabahug, who had always been raised to help people, quickly paid $80 for her groceries. "I watched this cashier, knowing nothing about him, walk around, knowing nothing about that lady, and he didn't care. He didn't care in that moment who she was, who she loved, who she voted for," Dircks noted.
Although Cabahug did not intend to gain anything out of his kindness, Dircks wanted to do something that would make his day. She learned that the young boy wished to buy himself a car and become a nurse to help others. A leg injury during a volleyball match ended his volleyball career. After graduating, he intends to assist his mom and family in buying a house, with plans to attend school afterward to become a nurse. So, she created a GoFundMe to help the young boy get what he had been saving up for. So far, she has been able to raise nearly $11,000, with the goal being $14,000.
A 2025 study published in the "Journal of Game and Economic Behavior" noted that pay-it-forward behavior is commonly seen in acts of kindness. The study stated, "Our experiment reveals that altruism and indirect reciprocity spur people to pay kind actions forward, informing how kindness begets further kindness." By helping the elderly woman, the teenager not only earned praise for his kindness but also received support.
True kindness shows when someone helps without thinking twice. In another story, 18-year-old Teo Jordan, a high school senior working as a bagger at Kroger, heard an elderly man say he did not have enough money to pay for his groceries. When the man was asked to leave a few groceries behind, Teo stepped in to pay. His mom said she was very proud of him, and many people praised his kindness online. Interestingly, Teo had just begun work a few weeks prior and, just like Cabahug, was saving up to buy himself a car while helping his family. Cabahug and Teo have one thing in common: their selfless nature to help others, no matter the situation.