Penticton Walmart employees Sue Squires (left) and Nitish Kumar are pictured at work in December, 2024.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Nitish Kumar

Penticton resident Sue Squires works part time at the local Walmart, and earlier this month a customer going through her till was delightfully surprised to see how she interacts with even her youngest customers.

“I don’t know anything about the lady except when you go to Walmart she is always really pleasant and always has something nice to say to you,” Sabina Notz said. “I noticed her giving presents to little kids, it’s a wonderful idea. I asked her about it, she’s been doing this since COVID to help make children feel comfortable and she continued with it.”

Notz reached out to iNFOnews.ca to bring attention to Squires’ generosity.

“I think it’s such a nice gesture, especially nowadays when no one seems to have patience for anyone else let alone so much kindness,” she said.

While Squires doesn’t work very many hours at the store when she does she likes to bring smiles to customers' faces. During the pandemic she started purchasing fidget spinners and tiny animal toys to distribute.

“A lot of people were scared and the children were terrified about the people around them, so I bought toys to hand out, always asking the permission from parents of course,” she said. “Some kids were delighted and one dragged his father to my till whenever I was working.”

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She buys the toys herself, although she has had some donations in the form of Walmart gift cards to go toward the cost.

“We can’t take cash donations so some people give me gift cards to help contribute, and I can also use the cards to help someone in need,” she said. “The other day I had a little old lady getting cat food and a pork chop and didn’t have money for both. She asked me to put the pork chop away but instead I used a gift card I’d been given to pay for it.”

Squires said giving to children is important to her because she adores them and she couldn’t have any of her own.

“I have nine nieces and nephews but most of them live in far eastern Canada and it’s difficult not being able to see them,” she said. “I babysat for years and years, it’s close to my heart to give to children now.”

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Squires puts the toys along the shelf in front of her till and gets a lot of response from customers. Some think the toys have been left behind by other customers, while others enjoy playing with them.

“I get many people that are very appreciative, but some don’t believe that I give them away,” she said. “Now and then an adult will take interest and they can take one too. Once in awhile a grandparent asks to take several toys for their grandkids.”

Nitish Kumar works with Squires at the store and said she's amazing, fun loving and very kind.

“Occasionally she shares her iconic eye-ball candy with me. Whenever I’m there, she always gives me a hug," Kumar said. "She is such a great human being, thank you for recognizing someone who really deserves it.”

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Squires grew up in Yellowknife and has many fond memories of her childhood there. When she isn't cheering people up at work, she is doing medieval theatre with a local society where she role plays as the Village Idiot and a jester among other entertaining characters.

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