Woman Buys All Items of Shoe Store for Donation

Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. buy out / baɪ aʊt / (phrasal) – to buy all the stocks or items of a store
    Example:

    A millionaire bought out all the products of a local grocery store in order to start a feeding program.


  2. mark down / mɑɚk daʊn / (phrasal) – to reduce or lessen the price of something
    Example:

    The store has marked down the product from $100 to $50.


  3. bargain / ˈbɑɚgən / (v) – to talk about the price of something, usually to make it more affordable
    Example:

    I bargained for these fruits, so I was able to get them for half the price.


  4. drive / draɪv / (n) – an initiative done to achieve a certain goal
    Example:

    I gave all my old books and toys to some students who were having a donation drive.


  5. fulfillment / fʊlˈfɪlmənt / (n) – happiness or satisfaction from being able to do something good
    Example:

    Volunteering at hospitals gives me a sense of fulfillment.


Article

Read the text below.

A woman from Kansas has bought out the remaining stocks of a shoe store so that she could donate them.


Addy Tritt offered to buy all of the remaining 204 pairs of shoes at a local Payless store. If bought at their original prices, the 204 pairs would have been valued at more than $6,000. But because the store was about to close due to bankruptcy, each pair was marked down to $1.


Despite the large discount, Tritt did not have enough money to buy all the shoes. She bargained with a Payless manager, and the shoes were eventually sold to her for only $100 after two hours of phone calls and e-mails.


Tritt then sent the shoes to a sorority in Fort Hays State University, her alma mater. The sorority was organizing a donation drive to help the victims of the devastating Nebraska flood.


According to Tritt, she is not expecting anything in return from the recipients of her donation. She said that she only wanted to make sure that the flood victims have shoes on their feet.


In an interview, Tritt shared that donating to people in need brings her so much joy. In fact, this is not the first time that she made a donation. She has previously organized donation drives and has donated a variety of things, like supplies for animal shelters and school supplies for students. She highly encourages others to volunteer and donate so they may experience the same sense of joy and fulfillment that she has in doing these acts of kindness.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• If you were Tritt, would you have also bought out the store to make a donation? Why or why not?
• If you were to make a donation, would you like to be featured in the news or to remain anonymous? Explain.

Discussion B

• What do you think motivates people to make donations to other people or to other causes? Discuss.
• If you were to make a donation, how would you decide what to donate and who to donate to?