Woman Trying on Clothes at Thrift Store Questioned by Elderly Shopper — and Their Exchange Goes Viral (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

“At first, I worried she might be upset because I was already recording when she appeared on camera,” Blackborow tells PEOPLE. “I thought, ‘Oh no, I’ve filmed someone without their permission. Is she going to be mad?’ "

The woman, whose name Blackborow didn’t catch, approached her to ask how she got her phone to stick to the mirror. Blackborow explained that she used an Octobuddy, a device with multiple suction cups that allows her phone to adhere to various surfaces.

Lauren Blackborow shares sweet interaction with stranger while thrifting.Lauren Blackborow

Lauren Blackborow

Blackborow then removed her phone from the mirror and showed the woman the Octobuddy. “She thought it was such a cute idea,” Blackborow says.

“She was the sweetest person on the planet,” Blackborow adds. “My initial concern quickly turned to excitement as we connected. The first thing that came to mind was, ‘Girlhood has no age.’ I was thrilled to chat with her.”

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Since Blackborow had already begun filming her thrifting video for the day, she captured the entire interaction on camera. After asking for the woman’s permission, she posted the video on herTikTokaccount, hoping to inspire others to spread kindness, too.

“I think that because we’re all on our phone, social interaction is to such a minimum these days. But if you come across somebody who is open and just wants to chat, just give it a shot because you genuinely have no idea where they’ve come from,” she adds. “They could teach you something. It could make your whole day.”

Blackborow says she hasn’t been able to track down the woman, but she did notice a comment on the video from a girl who says the woman is her grandma. She’s not sure it’s 100 percent true, so Blackborow is planning her own way to find the stranger. When she does, she plans to gift her with her own Octobuddy.

“I’m going to go back to the store,” Blackborow says. “I’m hoping she’s a local or a regular, and I’m going to ask the employees next time that I’m over there.”

source: people.com