He said that she had two little girls and a baby. She was using WIC, the federal program for women, infants and children on low income, for the first time, CBS News reported.
She apparently grabbed the wrong brand of baby formula, so part of the transaction wouldn’t go through.
As the line behind the woman got longer, and customers started getting frustrated, Tate did something few in his situation would probably do - he pulled out his card paid $60 for her remaining, uncovered, groceries.
The $60 represents a day’s worth of work for Tate.
"I swiped it, and instantly she started bawling her eyes out," Tate told KFOR.
He said that he had the inspiration to help the woman out from a higher power.
"You never know what God is going to to. Yeah, it might be hard. It might be scary. It might be a day's wage. But, if God is calling you to do it, he's going to have something major for you," Tate told KFOR.
The woman was so overcome with emotion, she didn't notice Tate's name and wasn't able to thank him, so she posted her story on Facebook. The pair eventually were reunited, CBS News reported.
The story also caught the attention of the Walmart corporation, which posted what happened on its own Facebook page with the hashtag #SamWouldBeProud.
Very proud of one of our associates tonight for going above and beyond to help a customer. Store manager Barry...
Posted by Walmart Newcastle on Tuesday, July 25, 2017
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