Tyler Perry Surprises Senior Shoppers, Pays For Their Groceries

Thomas Tapp
Updated ·2 min read

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Seniors braving the grocery aisles during the coronavirus crisis got a big surprise Wednesday morning at some Louisiana Winn-Dixie stores.

“We have wonderful news for you,” said one store clerk. “Tyler Perry has just paid for your groceries for the day.”

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That’s right, the New Orleans-born mogul picked up the tab for pandemic-affected shoppers who checked out before 8 a.m. — the end of shopping hours for “high-risk” customers.

According to the Kroger chain, the actor-director-producer also bought groceries for nearly 3,000 seniors at their Atlanta-area stores. Many of the shoppers were overcome by the gesture.

“We would like to join our customers in thanking Mr. Perry for his kindness and generosity during this unprecedented pandemic,” said a Kroger spokesman. “It was truly a pleasure to see our customers fill with joy and gratitude as the news spread throughout 44 stores across metro Atlanta.”

Not every customer knew who their benefactor was. Many seniors simply received a paper slip when they checked out that read, “Random Act of Kindness.”

Some took to Twitter to express their gratitude after they discovered Perry was behind the surprise.

The act of largesse comes just days after Perry left a $500 tip for each of the 42 out-of-work employees at one of his favorite Atlanta-area restaurants. While picking up an order at Houston’s restaurant on Sunday, the mogul reportedly tipped to the tune of $21,000.

Perry has a long history with “Random Acts of Kindness.” Among them was secretly paying off $400,000 in Christmas layaways at two Atlanta-area Walmarts.

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