Coles shopper stuns millions with heartwarming acts: 'So wholesome'
A Melbourne man has amassed over 50 million views of a series of videos in which he surprises Coles customers with random acts of kindness.
TikToker Rustam Raziev has been posting the videos in celebration of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan.
In the clips, Raziev approaches unsuspecting shoppers in Coles and pays for their groceries.
In one video, the TikToker asks a man to purchase him a bottle of water, and rewards the man’s kindness by paying for his entire shop.
“I’ll pay for everything because you agreed to buy my water, so I really appreciate it,” Raziev tells the man.
In another video, the TikToker rewards a customer for allowing him to go first in the checkout line.
“That’s all for you, it’s from my heart,” Raziev tells the man as he pays for his groceries, to which the man replies “you made my week, I promise I’ll pass it on”.
“It’s a Ramadan month and I’m just trying to help as much as I can,” he tells another customer as he pays for her groceries.
Raziev has been uploading one Coles kindness video per day for the last week, and he has told Yahoo News that the kind gestures are far from over.
“My goal this month is to help at least 120 people in need whether it’s through buying them food, paying for groceries, or just by giving them money,” he said.
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Raziev told Yahoo News that his childhood experiences inspired him to give back to his community.
“My family have had times when we didn’t have any money for food or shelter, we had difficult times where we had to survive,” he said.
“I think all of that made me stronger mentally and spiritually and I told myself that should I be able to help others in the future then I most definitely will, which is happening now.
“In addition to that, Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting from dawn to sunset, prayer, reflection, community and giving back, so it’s the best month of the year we should exceed ourselves with good actions, charity, and giving back to the community.”
TikTok reacts to 'wholesome' gestures
TikTok users from all over the world have commended Raziev for his kind acts.
“He has a pure heart,” one person said.
“This is so wholesome,” wrote another.
“There's still decent people in the word,” commented a third.
“Your kindness will be repaid,” added a fourth.
Raziev told Yahoo News Australia that he is humbled by the “enormously positive support” from social media.
“I have been flooded with positive and blessing messages and comments, where people are mostly saying to keep going, to never stop, and thanking me for helping others and that they love watching my videos,” he said.
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