I don't need strangers to pay for my groceries either, but I think if they did (assuming it wasn't for a social media stunt) I'd accept it gracefully and try to pay it forward somehow. Maybe offer to pay for the next person, or use the money I'd have spent to buy those prepared bags for food pantries some shops offer.

It's feels good to genuinely do something nice for another person and I wouldn't want to take that from them. It's also nice just knowing that not everyone in your community is only looking out for themselves. Might as well take the opportunity to do something for someone else

The issue is the social media bit. Someone paid for my groceries without filming it then yeah I'd just pay for the next persons.

Probably best to decline politely if you don't need it.

I've wanted to pay sometimes for people - but didn't have the courage... shame.

For my wife and I, we usually keep it to situations where it's needed, we don't just offer any body, just because. My wife being a feminist and a mother will always "target" to help the single/young mothers, or older ladies etc.

I tend to just try help out those who are having trouble paying, regardless who they are, on the condition that if we're in a supermarket, their shop is a grocery shop on the whole; if they're buying £70 worth of spirits and nothing else, I'm probably not going to offer.

I work in central London, so sometimes a tourist will come into my local cash-only coffee shop just in front of me and not have cash, so I'll just offer to buy their coffees or whatever, though there are no cash-only coffee shops now since returning to the office after the pandemic, so it doesn't happen as often.

Yeah this I go to the market in a hoodie and joggers, - looking as rough as hell. But if somebody paid for my groceries and was filming it all without my permission I'd be mad as hell. Aside from not needing others to pay for my groceries, it's an invasion of privacy.