Boy Who Dressed Up as Cashier for Halloween Gets Surprise Better Than Candy After Employees Take Notice

By Amanda Thomason December 6, 2022 at 3:22pm

There are two kinds of people during Halloween. There are the people who choose the cookie-cutter get-ups available at the big box stores, dressing up as the classics and the most popular modern characters, but then there are some people who really go all out and make their own unique, delightful costumes.

Calvin Pettibone and his mother Rachel from Montgomery, Ohio, fall into the latter category.

Calvin is a 5-year-old boy who has cerebral palsy and some developmental delays, but engages in sports like soccer and absolutely loves shopping with his mom — especially at Kroger.

It’s a familiar place for him, with all sorts of opportunities for him to interact with food, machines and people.

When it came time to figure out a suitable costume, Rachel just had to think about his current obsession with Kroger to come up with the perfect plan.

“So we come up with a costume where we try to incorporate a lot of his interests and things that he’s into,” she told WLWT. “So it would be something that he likes, and right now, he really enjoys going shopping, and Kroger is one of his favorite places to shop.

“He really likes food. And here we are. He also likes pushing buttons and scanning and the beep that comes with the scanning, and so we tried to incorporate all those things into his costume.”

Calvin sported a blue hat, apron, and even a name tag with his name on it, and his walker was topped with a check-out set-up, complete with scanner, console and a conveyer belt.

After spotting the creative costume, a Kroger employee took it to the top and the chain made plans to recognize the young man. A local store decided to celebrate the young man with a ceremony of their own, and the 5-year-old fan got goodie baskets, artwork and official gear.

“I think it’s huge for Calvin to be able to see, you know, somebody with a walker, on a sign in his room, and it’ll be something really fun for him to have for a long time,” his mom said.

But Kroger didn’t stop there — they also gifted $500 to the group Calvin enjoys playing soccer with.

“Cincinnati TOPSoccer is a soccer league whose sole purpose is to get individuals with special needs off the sidelines and into the game!” their website stated. “We strive to accommodate any player who has a desire to play the world’s greatest sport.

“Any player age 4 and older with a physical or cognitive disability is welcome to play with us. By using the talents of dedicated coaches and volunteers, we provide the resources to allow each player, regardless of their abilities, to experience the joys that sports can offer. We adapt to meet the needs and ability level of each individual and celebrate each success no matter how small.”

TOPSoccer also shared Calvin’s impressive costume, and then when it went public they shared the resulting news story.

“Way to go Calvin!” Cincinnati TOPSoccer posted on Sunday. “Your costume was fantastic!”

“TOPSoccer has been so welcoming for kids with a variety of needs,” Rachel Pettibone said. “And it’s a great place for Calvin to get some physical activity as well as socialization. And so we really appreciate Kroger’s support of that program, and it benefits a lot of people in the community.”

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