While the OP's story is a great example of how kind some people can be, there's some ways that the firing could have been avoided(maybe). For example, he could have sold it to you at a discount. Then, it's technically not stealing. Also, businesses usually have practices that value money over customer loyalty. Of course, friendly behavior towards customers is usually encouraged, such as saying "thank you". Maybe at a different kind of store someone could get away with a random act of kindness, but honestly, the guy knew the risks of his action and suffered the consequences. End of story.