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Meijer co-chairman Doug Meijer surprises a customer by picking up the tab for her holiday shopping.

(Courtesy photo)

Update: 5 things about Meijer shoppers who got holiday purchases for free

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Saturday was a lucky day to go shopping at Meijer.

The Midwest retailer gave 213 unsuspecting customers a big surprise at the checkout: their entire shopping carts filled with gifts and groceries were given to them free as a holiday gift.

In what the Michigan-based retailer is calling a “Very Merry Meijer” event, one customer at each of the retailer’s stores across the Midwest was randomly selected on Dec. 13 to receive their purchases free.

The holiday giveaway is a first for the 80-year-old family-owned supercenter-chain, and way for the retailer to play Santa to its customers, said Co-Chairman Hank Meijer.

“The holidays are a time for kindness and joy, and the Very Merry Meijer event was a perfect opportunity for us to share the spirit of the season with those we hold dear: our customers,” said Hank Meijer, in a statement. "Our family has always believed that our customers don’t need us, but that we need them. That philosophy still guides us today. We are very thankful for our customers, and wanted to find a special way to wish them a very Merry Christmas.”

While Meijer won’t say how much it spent on this holiday surprise, the retailer revealed the shopping carts ranged from $350 to more than $1,200 in value.

The customer responses were a mixture of emotions that spurred tears, laughter and even speechlessness, which is shown in a video Meijer released today. The four-minute video is a montage of shoppers hearing the news, along with an interview of Hank Meijer explaining why the retailer was playing Santa.

Before Meijer released the video today, word had already begun to get out. One lucky Ohio shopper posted her experience on Facebook, which was shared by more than 20,000 people.

Tasha Braniff, a married mother of two, was not only overwhelmed by her experience at Meijer but the response she received on social media.

“We are so blessed that Meijer chose us and would love for more people to know how much we appreciate it and how much we value Meijer’s generosity for just not us but everyone that was chosen that day!,” she told MLive and The Grand Rapids Press.

In most cases, store directors revealed the gift upon checkout, but Hank Meijer, his brother and Co-Chairman Doug Meijer, and Meijer President J.K. Symancyk also took part in surprising shoppers.

Hank Meijer visited the Grand Rapids store on 28th Street SE and Kalamazoo Avenue, while Symancyk went to the Meijer store in Plainfield Avenue NE in Grand Rapids. Wearing a Santa cap, Doug Meijer delivered the news to customers at stores along the Lakeshore in Norton Shores, Fruitport Township and Grand Haven.

Symancyk likened the giveaways to doing simple acts of kindness for customers.

"The Very Merry Meijer event was our fun way of making the season bright for our customers,” he said.

Doug Meijer said he enjoyed playing Santa with Meijer team members: “(We) may have been more excited before, during and after our surprises than the recipients. That’s how much fun we had spreading Christmas cheer.”

Meijer, which operates throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, has estimated sales of $16.6 billion in 2012, according to the National Retail Foundation's STORES magazine.

The retailer has a tradition of donating more than 6 percent of its profits to help organizations and communities in its five-state footprint.

Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.