I Went to Return Bed Sheets and Found a New Way to Give Back
A five-minute chat with a young employee about a credit card turned a routine errand into a calling I didn’t see coming.
(Initially published on Medium.com, 14-Jun-2026)
A chance meeting at Target excited me to investigate more how I might help younger people with their personal finances and budgets. It is all because of ‘Sam’.
Sam is a young adult and works at my local Target store’s customer service desk for returns and exchanges.
I bought the flannel bed sheets a while ago. I didn’t have my receipt or remember which credit card I used, so it was a store credit for me.
The real story is our chat while doing the return.
Sam noticed I had a Fidelity Rewards credit card. He asked me if it had some benefits.
I explained I get 2% cash back direct to my checking account each month. It’s like a 2% discount on everything we buy – and we use it for everything we can, paying it off at the end of each month, of course.
I get 2% off my electric bill, home and auto insurance, phone bill, internet, Netflix, etc.
It’s all the stuff we are paying anyway, so why not get some cash back?
He shared he has a brokerage and Roth IRA at Fidelity. He didn’t know details of the credit cards.
I encouraged him to call and find out how he can apply.
There was no one behind me in line so our chat was longer than the time to return some bed sheets.
After he shared his Fidelity accounts, I encouraged him to keep putting money, whatever he could, into his Roth. Don’t give up if it seems like it’s not a lot of money.
I shared that my retirement savings had a relatively flat sloped line for the first five to seven years.
Once the contributions and growth started compounding, that’s when you start to see the growth rate and balance accelerate. Don’t give up and pull your money out.
It’s like a tree. Plant it, take care of it, and watch it grow.
His eyes lit up and I felt like he was desperate to talk more.
Sadly, the returns line formed behind me – four people showed up all at once and they had carts full of merchandise.
So I left.
Man, that walk to my car was weird. I felt a connection to Sam and wanted to offer to talk more about finance. His face just said he wanted to know more.
I sat in my car for a few minutes, wondering if I should go back in and offer to meet again and grab a coffee on his break. In the end, I drove home as I needed to get to another appointment.
But, the thought stuck with me; maybe I could find ways to help mentor young people with their finances. I had a taste of that with my nephew and his budget.
I recently met with my nephew and wrote about that here.
We went out of town and I haven’t been back to Target. I’m going back and hoping to see Sam. I want to reintroduce myself and offer to have a chat and coffee if he is interested.
I have volunteered countless hours at the Food Bank and I really enjoy it. In that role, I’m the grunt doing whatever they tell me needs doing that day. And I’m good with that.
The idea of being able to directly impact a young person’s life and expand their financial literacy gets me excited!
I hope I can find Sam when I go back to Target. I know I need to go back in a few weeks.
Here’s hoping he is there.
For me, personal finance is a subject they should teach at school much like they do reading, writing, and math. I wrote about that here, if you’re interested.
Here are a few things I’d tell Sam, and you, if you’re starting out.
- Determine your full expenses and budget.
- Make a plan to pay off debts.
- Work towards contributing to your retirement — at least the amount that gets any company-matching funds.
- Set up an emergency fund.
- Start saving and investing, as you can.
These five steps aren’t always as simple as they sound, and everyone’s situation differs. They can point a young adult in the right direction.
In the meantime, I plan to do some research on local charities that help young people with financial literacy. There must be existing programs and resources to use.
I may not see Sam again, but our encounter has piqued my interest to figure out how I might be able to help mentor young adults.
How about you?
What gets you excited to volunteer and give back?
Enjoy Life and Thanks for Reading,
-Jeff
