Atlanta media mogul Tyler Perry paid the grocery bills for all shoppers during senior hour Wednesday morning at 44 Kroger supermarkets in metro Atlanta and 29 Winn-Dixies in his hometown of New Orleans.
"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," said Felix Turner, the Atlanta spokesman for Kroger. "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."
Credit: Raymond Dawson
Credit: Raymond Dawson
Phil Kloer, 64, said this morning he went to a Decatur Kroger during the "senior" hour and was almost finished shopping when an employee came up to him and quietly told him he should get to the cashier by 8 a.m.
“I was almost done shopping, so that wasn’t a big deal,” he said. When he arrived, he saw a Kroger grocery bag over the credit card reader and was about to take it off when the cashier told him that he didn’t need to worry. Perry, she said, had his $290 in groceries covered.
“I was dumbstruck,” said Kloer, who used to be a reporter at The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
He said he still has a job, so he paid it forward. He immediately donated $300 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Janette Maas, a 61-year-old retired airline pilot, had finished her weekly shopping at a Maretta Kroger during the 7 a.m. seniors-only hour Wednesday and thought something was amiss because the self check-out lanes were closed. The cashier told her an anonymous donor had covered her $60 in groceries, and her receipt said "Atlanta Angel." "I got my Kroger fuel points," she said.
She later heard Perry was the donor, and said she was thinking of finding a Madea movie to watch later as thanks.
How much money Perry will end up shelling out is unclear, but it could be well in the six figures.
Perry over the weekend gave $21,000 —$500 each —
for 42 out-of-work servers at his favorite Houston’s restaurant off Northside Parkway near I-75.
Originally posted Wednesday, April 8, 2020 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
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