Tyler Perry footed the bill for every elderly person shopping for groceries at 44 Atlanta-based Kroger stores during the supermarket’s senior hour Wednesday morning. He did the same for 29 locations in his hometown of New Orleans.
The grocery brand praised Perry for his kind-hearted donation:
“Senior and higher-risk Kroger shoppers in metro Atlanta did receive a nice surprise at the register this morning when they learned Tyler Perry had paid their grocery tab in full,” Atlanta Kroger spokesperson Felix Turner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We would like to join our customers in thanking Mr. Perry for his kindness and generosity during this unprecedented pandemic.”
“It was truly a pleasure to see our customers fill with joy and gratitude as the news spread throughout 44 stores across metro Atlanta,” he added.
One shopper, 64-year-old Phil Kloer, told the AJC he was shopping at the Kroger in Decatur when a clerk came up to him to tell him to get to a cashier by 8 a.m. When he got to the cash register, Kloer noticed a bag over the credit card reader.
When the at-risk shopper went to remove the bag, the grocery clerk told him not to worry about it, because Perry had paid his $290 bill.
“I was dumbstruck,” said Kloer, who is still working full-time and decided to pay it forward, donating $300 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
And over the weekend, the 50-year-old movie mogul gave away $21,000 — $500 each — to 42 out-of-work servers at his favorite Houston’s restaurant in Atlanta.
Kudos to Perry for using his success and wealth to make a difference.