Grocery Store Clerk Works Two Jobs To Sustain Four Children — Gasps When Called To Assist Shopper In Aisle 6

Jan 11, 2021

When you are a parent, all of your focus goes to ensuring that your children can achieve their dreams and have a happy life. Sometimes, doing this can lead to a great deal of sacrifice.

Such is the story of Tina Stoilova, a mother from a suburb near Sydney, Australia. Tina is the proud mom of four kids. Ever hardworking, Tina runs a daycare center near her home and is also employed as a clerk at a Coles supermarket. In both of her jobs, Tina's only concern is to provide for her family. Back in 2015, cameras caught an emotionally moving moment that took place at the supermarket Tina worked at. We are sure the video will tug at your heartstrings as well. 

Back in 2015, Tina's life was especially difficult. The previous year, Tina's oldest daughter, Madonka Stoilova, lovingly nicknamed Donna, left to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian in the United States. While Tina was happy that her daughter was living her dream, she nevertheless missed her greatly. When Mother's Day came around that May, Tina felt a hole in heart after not seeing her first-born child for over a year. Donna, however, had a surprise for Tina that day.

Donna had been in contact with the Kyle and Jackie O Radio Show and planned an elaborate homecoming that would be sure to please Tina on her special day. With the help of the two radio show hosts, Donna flew back to Australia and planned on surprising her beloved mom when she was working a shift at Coles. Hiding in aisle 6, Donna got ready to meet her mom as she pretended to check out the store's selection of cereal boxes. When the time came, Kyle got on the store's intercom, requesting that Tina come to aisle 6.

Tina soon emerged from the store's stockroom and headed down the aisle. As her mom passed her, Donna pretended to be just a random customer and asked her a question about a box of cereal. Tina began to answer and at first didn't even realize she was talking to her own daughter. That's not really surprising. Anyone who has worked in a similar customer-orientated job before knows that customer requests and questions can often blur together.

Often, you are asked the same question in ten different ways during the course of a day, so after a certain time you don't even notice a customer's looks and answer common questions on rote. But then suddenly, Tina came to the realization that she was talking to her own daughter. As the surprise washed over, Tina let out a big laugh and swept Donna into a heartfelt hug.

As cameras caught the amazing reunion, Tina received a call from Jackie. The inventive radio personality told the hardworking mom that she hopes that she has a good Mother's Day and asked if Donna's appearance surprised her. Wiping away tears, Tina thanked the station for orchestrating such an amazing reunion with her daughter and said that she was indeed surprised by Donna's sudden appearance at her place of work. Footage of the mother-daughter reunion was later posted to the radio show's official YouTube page, where it has since been watched nearly one million times.

In the end, Tina's story shows that while being a parent can be hard work, it can also be incredibly rewarding. Tina put all of her energy into raising Donna and her three siblings. To thank her mother for everything that she has done on her behalf, Donna gave her an amazing gift and surprise for Mother's Day.

Since 2015, Tina's daughter has come a long way. Around that time, she had just started her career as a stand-up comedian, and on a whim, too, as she explained to the Camden-Narellan Advertiser, a local newspaper from New South Wales, back in 2018:

"I signed up for open mic night at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood," she said.

"I think I blacked out or something because I don't remember what I said or what the crowd thought so I just wanted to get up and do it again."

Spurred on by her first taste of the comedy business in the U.S., Donna decided to keep at it after she returned back to her home country, Australia. She started doing stand-up gigs around Camden in any place that would let her.

"I talk about my family a lot – I'm from a big Macedonian family so there is plenty to talk about," she explained.

"I also talk about things that have happened to me like bad dates, meeting a really odd person on Tinder or missing the train.

"It's relatable stuff. I am not a crude comic, I admire comedians who can pull that off and of course I find it funny but I have younger siblings and I think about them when I am performing."

All her work paid off, as she was able to gain a spot during the Sydney Comedy Festival in 2018. Her set must have been pretty convincing, as she was back just one year later, having also secured a spot for the Sydney Comedy Festival 2019 line-up. 

2020 brought its own challenges with the current situation, so Donna teamed up with other female comedians for a special online show, as she posted on Facebook. And then in July 2020, she was right back to the stage.

Australia's response to the Covid-19 pandemic was much stricter than the U.S.'s, starting with completely closed borders and a strict lockdown of all non-essential businesses in March 2020, including restrictions on in-country travel and strict quarantine directions for exposed persons. As a result of these strict measures, Australia was able to report zero community-based transmissions in June 2020 and started a gradual re-opening of the country, which allowed bars, pubs, and comedy clubs to go back to almost their usual business.

We hope that Madonka "Donna" Stoilova will go on to bring cheer to her fellow Australians and make her hard-working mother proud in the coming years!

What do you think of Tina and Donna’s story? What is the best Mother’s Day gift you have given or received? How do you show your parents that you appreciate them and all their hard work?