Technically, you’re not supposed to sell anything outside of a store without a permit.
But some young children in Rowland Heights, California, had the idea of selling some candy outside of a local Target store. These kids were determined to make a few extra bucks, and they obviously showed an entrepreneurial spirit by going out and trying to make some money by selling something that they knew people would buy – candy.
However, not everyone was impressed with the kids’ business. Most obvious was an older lady who came out of the store and started questioning the children. Rudely, she asked the kids if they had permission to be there or if they had applied for a license. Keep in mind – this woman clearly does not work at the store. She just took it upon herself to go up to these kids and start asking them a bunch of questions.
This interaction was recorded by a woman named Andy who was exiting the store while all of this was happening.
She thought it was ridiculous, so she took out her camera and started recording the interaction. Andy says that the woman started screaming at the children in front of other customers and even began to threaten them at one point. She told them that the cops would be there soon and that what they were doing was illegal.
The boy the older woman is speaking to becomes visibly upset, finally succumbing to tears as she continues to harass him.
However, the woman still stays right where she is and continues to berate the boy. Think about how you would have reacted to this when you were a kid. It’s pretty intimidating for an adult to start yelling at you like that. When other people saw what was going on, they knew it had to be stopped.
A man named Jay Lopez decides to stick up for the kids.
He goes over to the woman and confronts her and tells her that she should stop talking to kids that way. Eventually, an argument between the two adults ensues. The boy is left standing there, clearly uncomfortable about the situation. When the woman still doesn’t stop her harassment, Jay decides to do something that will really help the kid. He asks him how much all of the candy costs. The child replies that it’s about $80 worth of candy.
The older woman is upset with the fact that Jay now seems to be doing business with the boy and starts talking over their conversation to try to distract both of them into talking to her again. But Jay won’t have any of it. He goes inside to get some cash so he can buy all the candy and help the boy out. He tells the woman:
“I’m buying it all. I’ m gonna buy it all, and I’m gonna give it away to all these people. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
In a time when there is so much political division in the United States, it’s frustrating to see somebody so angered and upset by something that doesn’t even affect her.
Whether the boy was technically legally allowed to be there or not, what was he hurting? He was trying to make some extra money. Who knows what kind of financial situation he was facing at home? Yeah, he might just be trying to make some money for the fun of it, but what if his family really needed that money and he was doing whatever he could to help support them?
Luckily, there are people out there like Jay Lopez who know how to stand up for those who don’t have as much power as others.
Instead of spreading hate, he did something nice for this young boy that he didn’t even know. And in the end, he’s the one who walked home with a ton of sweet treats to share.
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