Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

Some days, it feels impossible to find the motivation to go to work, especially on a holiday. For one Walmart employee, missing out on her planned day off seemed like an inconvenience—until fate stepped in with a life-changing surprise.

media1.giphy.com


Rebeca Gonzalez, who works at a Walmart in Los Angeles, had planned to spend Labor Day at home with her husband, enjoying a barbecue with family. Those plans changed when her manager unexpectedly called, asking her to come in for a three-hour shift.


“It was Labor Day, and they only needed me for three hours. I wanted to obviously be home with my family because we planned to barbecue.”
— Rebeca Gonzalez

Feeling frustrated but knowing she couldn’t refuse, Gonzalez went in for her shift. Throughout the day, she had thought about buying a Single Double Triple Scratchers game but got so caught up in work that she forgot.

Giphy


It wasn’t until she was heading home for the night that she passed by a California Lottery vending machine and remembered her plan. On a whim, she decided to buy a $10 ticket. That last-minute decision turned out to be worth a million dollars.

Giphy


From a frustrating shift to a life-changing win

Checking the results, Gonzalez could hardly believe what she saw—she had won the $1 million top prize. What started as disappointment over working on a holiday quickly turned into the best decision of her life.


“I couldn’t believe it!”
— Rebeca Gonzalez

The unexpected winnings allowed her to pay off her debt, and now she and her husband are closing on a new home.

Giphy


Despite her life-changing luck, Gonzalez has chosen to keep working at Walmart. So far, she’s only shared the news with one person—her manager, the same one who called her in to work that day.


“I’ve only told one person at work, and it was the manager who wanted me to stay late on a holiday. He (literally) couldn’t believe it.”
— Rebeca Gonzalez

Lottery officials announced that Gonzalez defied the 2,057,388-to-1 odds to claim the top prize. Meanwhile, Walmart’s supercenter location will receive a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

A canceled day off might have started as an inconvenience, but for Gonzalez, it turned into the best twist of fate imaginable.

More For You

A screenshot of Taryn Compton speaking in her TikTok video about her frustrating bank experience.

Taryn Compton shares her disbelief after being told her bank no longer handles cash withdrawals.

Woman tries to withdraw her own money—but the bank’s strange new rule said no

People usually don’t think twice about walking into a bank and getting their own money. But when one Australian woman tried to withdraw cash, she hit an unexpected wall.

TikTok creator Taryn Compton (@basketballmumma) had planned to take out $3,500 in person—only to learn her bank had stopped offering cash withdrawals at the counter altogether. The surprise policy left her stunned, and her video about the experience quickly gained viral attention.

Keep ReadingShow less
Walmart employee lands $1 million after being forced to work on her day off
Representative photo by Canva

Walmart employee lands $1 million after being forced to work on her day off

Some days, it feels impossible to find the motivation to go to work, especially on a holiday. For one Walmart employee, missing out on her planned day off seemed like an inconvenience—until fate stepped in with a life-changing surprise.

   media1.giphy.com  

Keep ReadingShow less
A screenshot of Taryn Compton speaking in her TikTok video about her frustrating bank experience.

Taryn Compton shares her disbelief after being told her bank no longer handles cash withdrawals.

Woman tries to withdraw her own money—but the bank’s strange new rule said no

People usually don’t think twice about walking into a bank and getting their own money. But when one Australian woman tried to withdraw cash, she hit an unexpected wall.

TikTok creator Taryn Compton (@basketballmumma) had planned to take out $3,500 in person—only to learn her bank had stopped offering cash withdrawals at the counter altogether. The surprise policy left her stunned, and her video about the experience quickly gained viral attention.

Keep ReadingShow less
A screenshot of Taryn Compton speaking in her TikTok video about her frustrating bank experience.

Taryn Compton shares her disbelief after being told her bank no longer handles cash withdrawals.

She tried to take out her own money but the bank had a surprising new rule

Most people assume that if they walk into a bank, they can withdraw their own money without a problem. But for one woman in Australia, that wasn’t the case.

Taryn Compton, who goes by @basketballmumma on TikTok, recently shared her frustrating experience at her bank when she attempted to withdraw $3,500 in cash—only to be told that the branch no longer handles cash at the counter. The unexpected policy change left her stunned, and her video about the ordeal quickly went viral.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman holding a purse.

Representative Image: A Coach bag for under $10 wasn't even the best deal.

A woman’s handbag hid $300 and a secret that turned a thrift-store find into pure gold

Some shopping trips come with unexpected surprises, and for one thrifter, a routine Goodwill visit turned into an unforgettable moment. TikTok user Lynora (@marthainfused) shared her remarkable find—a Coach handbag for just $6.99. But it wasn’t just the deal of the day; inside the purse, she discovered something far more valuable.

“Got this Coach bag at Goodwill. I paid $6.99 for it,” she shared in her video. “Wait till you find out what’s inside.” The bag itself was in decent condition—slightly worn but still very much usable. As Lynora inspected it further, she noticed something unusual beneath the base cover. What she found left her stunned.

Keep ReadingShow less