Patrick Gibson had done the right thing his whole life. He had joined the army, raised a family, and earned his own money to buy everything he could ever need. But on June 14, 2015, a trip to the grocery store had him seeing red after he spotted a couple’s grocery cart loaded to the max.
He couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the family in front of him pay for their luxury items, including steak, seafood and tons of bread, as he and his family were struggling just to make ends meet! His photo revealed a flaw in the system that made everyone who saw the photo pretty angry, too...
This Soldier Earned His Keep
If anyone knows a thing or two about earning money to pay for things, it’s Patrick Gibson, a soldier in the United States Army. When he was single, he only had to worry about his own needs. But now, Gibson didn’t just have himself to think about anymore.
It Wasn’t Easy Being a Family Man
Gibson assumed that joining the army would have made life financially easier. But leaving his family behind for months to serve his country was really tough. He kept reminding himself what his father taught him: there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world! But then it became clear that some people didn’t share that same philosophy.
But He Wasn't An Absent Father
Gibson was a working father, but that didn’t mean that he was absent from his children’s lives. In fact, it was just the opposite. Gibson loved to go on family outings and travel through nature with his wife and two children, even if they had to save up some extra money to make these outings possible.
He Was the Sole Breadwinner
When Gibson met Whitney, he realized they were destined to be together, so he popped the question. And before long, he and his wife welcomed a boy and a girl into this world. But it wasn’t easy because he was the sole breadwinner in the family, so they had to get by with what little money they had, and yet others didn’t seem to have that problem.
Raising Children Took Strength and Discipline
Gibson spent years of his life supporting his family, and that wasn’t easy. He attributed his strength and dedication to his years of military training, which was where he learned to persevere through tough situations. But even the strongest people have moments that make them break.
His Wife Was Out of Luck
Due to a tough job market, Gibson's wife Whitney was out of work at the moment. She took her free time to raise her children while her husband was working, which was a burden off of his shoulders. His wife would have loved to help the family earn some much needed money, but Gibson was just happy that she was watching their children and taking care of their home.
He Worked Hard for His Money
As a husband and a father, he had to work even harder for his money to ensure everyone’s basic needs were met. But he also knew that there were some people who weren’t as lucky as he was and they needed the help of the system to get by. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
He Starved Himself for His Family
Gibson would often skip breakfast so that his money could be used to feed his family and pay for other expenses like diapers, gas and car payments. But he was no quitter, and despite his struggles, he was happy, until that fateful day at the market changed his life.
He Hoped For the Better Things in Life
Gibson hoped that one day he could afford the luxuries that he saw people around him purchasing, but he knew that taking care of his young children was his first priority. He also believed that putting your nose to the grindstone was the only way to get ahead in life, and he hated to see other people cheating the system to get ahead.
Food Stamps Help the Needy, Not the Greedy
Food stamps are there to provide people who are down on their luck with some much-needed financial assistance. But not everyone sees this as a positive thing, especially when they think someone is taking advantage of the system. But was this what triggered Gibson’s anger?
He Was Determined to Change His Life The Right Way
Gibson worked hard on a daily basis to afford the necessities for his family, and this was what made him feel proud. So when he saw other people charging huge expenses like vacations, iPhones and lobster dinners to their credit cards, he knew that they would have to pay for their pricey items later— and with interest.
He Went Looking for Some Good Deals
One day on June 14, 2015, Gibson was so happy he had extra money left over that he decided to go shopping at Walmart. As he walked through the aisles, he kept an eye out for special deals and calculated everything that went into his shopping cart in his head. But the person that wound up ticking him off didn’t care about prices.
Grocery Shopping Caused Him Some Stress
While Gibson was shopping he noticed a lot of people, some he knew and some he didn't, that were purchasing items far out of his price range. He hoped that one day he wouldn't have to price check every item that he put in his cart, and with hard work, that day would come sooner rather than later.
Other Shoppers Made Him Envious
Gibson wasn't the type to judge a book by its cover, but it was hard not to be envious when he saw other people putting delicious items like brand name cereal, great cuts of steak, and exotic ice cream flavors into their carts without looking twice at the price. But he wasn't mad at any of these shoppers, until one of them showed their true colors.
The Checkout Counter Was a Nightmare
Walmart was particularly busy that day, but he didn’t realize he was about to leave the supermarket boiling mad. What sparked his rage happened at the checkout line, but it wasn’t the long lines themselves that had him seeing red.
He Couldn’t Wait to Get Out of There
He pushed his cart filled with only the bare necessities towards the line and waited until it was his turn to check out. He couldn’t wait to get into the sanctity of his car and drive home. But there was something that seriously gnawed at him and he couldn’t shake it off.
A Customer’s Shopping Cart Got Him Mad
It wasn’t the screaming children or the annoying people who didn’t know how to respect his personal bubble that got him mad. It was something in another customer’s shopping cart, and when he looked inside, his blood boiled.
The Cart Was Piled High
Gibson got into the shopping cart line just hoping to get out of the store quickly, but because of the long lines that day, he had the chance to look around him and notice things that he wouldn't have seen otherwise. And on this busy Sunday, he noticed something that didn't sit right with him.
His Own Wallet Was Feeling Empty
Gibson often had to check his own wallet to make sure that his debit card was present, or that he had enough cash to cover his purchases because charging things to a credit card just wasn't within his means.
They Splurged on Food He Couldn’t Buy
The two carts in front of him were piled to the max with luxury food items like bacon, cheese, shrimp, lobster, and steak. These were things he could never in a million years splurge on. But Gibson wasn’t being petty because someone else had more than he did. It was the customer’s actions afterwards that made him explode with rage!
Everyone Noticed The Piles of Food
Even the checkout lady who was working the busy shift noted that the shopper had a lot of items in their cart that day! It took a few minutes to get the prices for all of these items added up, and once the goods were all put away, Gibson glanced at the total price tag, which was truly shocking.
They Didn't Seem to Have a Budget
Anyone who has to budget for their groceries knows how difficult it can be to stay within budget, and many people wish that they could simply buy food without thinking twice about the price. And it seemed like those customers ahead of Gibson were doing just that, but he soon learned that perhaps they should've been more careful about their purchases.
The Total Nearly Gave Him a Stroke
Once the cashier rang up all of the customer’s items, the total on the screen came up to $800. That wasn’t surprising given everything the man had bought. But then Gibson watched as he took out his wallet, opened it and pushed a bunch of $100 bills aside. Why wasn’t he using money? Was he going to use a credit card instead?
He Didn’t Use Cash to Buy His Food
It wasn’t a credit card or a debit card that the man had decided to use. It was an EBT card, which is awarded to people who don’t have enough money to buy food. But he suspected this man had more money than he did, so he decided to do a little more investigating.
He Had a Special Card to Buy Food With
These EBT cards are given to people who don't make enough money to support themselves, so they can earn assistance to buy necessities, like toiletries, sanitary products, and most importantly, food. And did Gibson have enough of a reason to be this furious about the purchase?
Army Dad Went Into Stalker Mode
As Gibson followed the man to the parking lot, he noticed he was heading to a new Hyundai Genesis, which he believed was worth about $20,000 more than the car he owned. And although he didn’t confront the man directly, he wasn’t done giving him a piece of his mind either.
He Followed The Shopper To His Car
Gibson even photographed the car of the shopper, without thinking that his decision might paint him in a bad light to the people on his social media feed. But he didn't think he was sharing the photos with anyone but his closest friends and family. That is, until the whole world started commenting on his post.
He Vented on Social Media
He was so mad that he decided to vent on Facebook and his rant included proof that showed an assortment of items in the customer’s carts. He started talking about how he was a military man with a family working hard to put food on the table, and then he explained why these people didn’t deserve to use Government help when they were clearly doing pretty well.
The Situation Made Him Furious
Gibson was no stranger to fighting for things that he believed in, so it was no surprise to his friends or family that were connected with him on the social media site that he would voice his opinions so strongly. But when other people on Facebook found the post and started to share it, they were stunned by his frankness.
Gibson Unleashed His Distaste
Gibson wasn’t afraid to express how disgusted he was with the way the customer had abused their food stamps. He wrote: “I just thought I would take the time to tell this person/family that you are very welcome from all of us hard working/struggling to buy food Americans that have to foot the bill for your fancy steak feast while I skip breakfast and lunch every day [so] that way my wife and children have food to eat every day because $50-$75 dollars doesn’t go very far,” he added, and it didn’t end there.
The Post Blew Up on Facebook
Over 150,000 people shared the post on Facebook. But the post wound up being pretty controversial and it produced a lot of mixed reactions from netizens. Like Gibson, no one seemed to be very shy about expressing their points of views either.
Some Disagreed With His Judgment
Once people read his story, some of them took Gibson's side, but there were others who felt he had jumped to conclusions. According to Kiwi Report, one person commented, “Do you really know their back story? Don’t be so quick to judge someone because you’re angry. How do you know if that person works?” Then he talked about the possible reason behind the car.
The Commenter Disagreed With Gibson
The Facebook user said that it was possible the new car was a gift and that the cash in the man’s wallet could have been saved to pay for something else. It was also clear that the commenter didn’t like how the military soldier had handled things, not that Gibson cared.
Gibson Clapped Back
Gibson was a soldier, and he wasn’t about to just sit back and take the criticism. So, he wrote back, “Let’s just call it what it is. We can all sit around and believe in sunshine and rainbows, saying the old, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ stuff.” And then he made his final point.
He Pointed Out the Flaws in the System
Gibson continued to fire back by saying, “But the reality of it is that so many people are abusing the system that was put in place for struggling families.” Indeed, he made some pretty good points, according to Kiwi Report. But thankfully, he had back up.
Gibson Had Some Support
“I agree with you Patrick 100%,” another person commented. “There are a lot that really need it but as you said, there are a lot that abuse the system, and a lot like yourself who need them but can’t get them.” But was Gibson’s judgment justified?
His Wife Chimed In
Some social media users even criticized Gibson’s wife for being jobless, despite having two small children to take care of. Thankfully, his wife Whitney was a strong woman, who knew that she did not have to apologize for being a housewife.
She Didn't Have to Apologize
Other users vocalized their support for the family and shared messages of positivity for Gibson, his wife and their children. His wife even chimed in to thank the kind people for their words of support, which were much needed after reading the negative words that were shared, too.
The Army Was a Career Stomper
Being in the army wasn’t all puppy dogs and ice cream. It prevented him from building a proper career outside of the military. So, by serving his country, he had put his livelihood on the line. But there are people who use the very system he has sworn to protect in an unfair way. That being said, Gibson claims he’s not anti-welfare either.
He Had No Issues With Welfare
According to Kiwi Report, Gibson has no quarrel with people who rely on food stamps to pay for their groceries. If anything, he gets why these benefits are necessary because he also struggles to stretch his money to buy food. What bugged him was the fact that this customer had something that he couldn’t get.
They Had Something He Needed
It bothered him that this individual appeared to be taking advantage of the system when Gibson himself had tried but failed to get on welfare to feed his family. So, when people put that fact into consideration, it was easy to see where he was coming from.
His Strength Didn't Waver
Some people on social media questioned Gibson’s motives for writing his angry post. Surely no one can judge someone after witnessing their life for only a minute. Some people wondered if the splurge was a once in a blue moon purchase, which shouldn’t be faulted and others thought that Gibson should be happy that someone in him a similar situation to his isn’t in poverty.
The Fight Put Things in Perspective
Gibson knew one thing for sure, which was that he hadn't woken up that day knowing that his life would be disrupted by a simple trip to Walmart. And the entire ordeal made him thankful that he still had the support of his friends and family, who really knew his intentions.
He Had Seen Worse Before
Nothing was tougher on Gibson than his time in the army, so a little bit of social media bickering didn't seem to be that consequential. He knew that what mattered most was the health and wellbeing of his children, so he strove to make a better life for them.
His Family Is His Top Priority
After the post went viral, Gibson counted his blessings and felt less bad for splurging a little bit on luxuries for his children. After all, they're only young once and he wants to be remembered as the best father he could possibly be.