A New York City convenience store cashier is going viral for allowing his customers to load up on free food and snacks—but he does have one simple condition for his generosity.
20-year-old Ahmed Alwan has been asking his customers at the Lucky Candy deli to answer spontaneous math questions at the counter.
If they successfully solve the problem, Alwan gives them five seconds (and oftentimes more than five seconds) to grab all the goodies they can carry.
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Customers have walked out of the Bronx convenience store carrying everything from bluetooth speakers to bananas and loaves of bread—and Alwan gives it all away for free.
“All I wanted to do was to help people, but I wanted to make it fun,” Alwan told CNN. “It’s a way to entertain and educate people in need while putting a smile on their face, too.”
Since Alwan came up with the idea last month, he has uploaded more than a dozen videos of his endearing math challenges to social media, which has quickly made him an internet sensation.
Although he asks participants to refrain from trying to take his cat, Alwan has been happy to pay for all of the free goods with his own money.
Alwan’s father, Saleh Aobad, is the owner of the store—and he told CNN that he is “very proud” of his son for doing his part to help those less fortunate.
“It’s impacting the business in a positive way, bringing awareness and attention to the store as well as spreading positivity throughout the community,” he said.
Alwan says that many of the customers featured in his videos are low-income residents who often have trouble making ends meet and paying their bills on time—so he has been more than happy to offer them a brief financial respite in exchange for an algebra problem.
This is not the first time that Alwan has gone out of his way to help his fellow Bronx residents, either—the college student reportedly has a history of giving away store products on credit and offering free food and coffee to homeless people sleeping on the street.
Alwan is now accepting GoFundMe donations through a personal crowdfunding page so he can continue giving away free food and supplies to his customers.
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