Here's a story that has the potential to either restore your faith in humanity or finish it off completely. Last week, some employees at a Best Buy store in Valley Stream, New York, decided to purchase a Wii U for a teenage boy who they noticed was coming in every day to play Smash Bros. on a display model. The act of kindness was greeted with cynicism and vitriol by a large number of YouTube and Reddit commentators.
A video of the incident was caught on camera and posted to YouTube by Best Buy manager Rahiem Storr. As you can see, the gesture takes the teen by complete surprise; the worker has to convince him that it isn't a prank and that the game console - warranty and all - is an early Christmas present from staff members.
"This kid came in every single day to play the display Wii U, the employees in this store saw an opportunity to make a child smile and did just that. They chipped in and purchased a Wii U for him with their own money. This is amazing, why shop at Amazon when you have genuine people in this world that you can continue to help keep a job," Storr wrote on the YouTube page.
Storr added that one of the employees drove the boy home so he wouldn't have to carry the console, which costs $300 for the bundle pack, back with him.
Unsurprisingly, a huge number of internet users were quick to pour scorn on the company's actions. In addition to the all-out racism, comments ranged from "he was probably in the store because of a bad home life," to "it was a condescending act," and that the whole thing was a publicity stunt orchestrated by Best Buy.
Refuting the claims, Storr said the boy's "loving" parents were "beyond welcoming" when staff drove him home. The manager later made another video, which you can see below, where he responds to the hateful messages.