Coles worker who taught child with autism how to stack biscuits praised

A father of a non-verbal son with autism has shared the incredible encounter his boy had with a Coles employee that made his day.

A Coles worker who went above and beyond for a child with autism has gone viral after the boy’s father shared the touching encounter on social media.

Dave Gamble was shopping at the Cardinia Lakes store in Victoria with his non verbal, autistic son on September 9 when the young boy spotted an employee stacking packets of biscuits.

What happened next left Dave so moved, he took to Facebook to thank the Coles employee, with many commending the man too.

“When my non verbal, autistic son approached him [the ‘amazing’ team member], curious what he was doing with all the biscuits (my son LOVES biscuits), this guy stopped and showed him and they spent a happy five minutes or so putting the biscuits on the shelf together,” Dave wrote.

A delighted dad has shared the encounter his non verbal son with autism had with an ‘amazing’ Coles worker. Picture: Facebook/DaveGamble

“And then, 10 minutes later, your team member found us again a few aisles over and gave him a box of chocolates for being such a great helper.

“For a boy who doesn’t get to get out and socialise much due to all the lockdowns at the moment and when he does they can be challenging, this was a little interaction and an amazingly generous gesture that made his day.”

Dave went on to ask Coles to “ensure your team member gets recognised for being such an amazing human”.

He also shared two photos of his son, one alongside the Coles employee as the pair worked together – and another showing the boy grinning from ear to ear clutching a huge box of Lindt choccies.

The young boy was thanked for being a ‘good helper’. Picture: Facebook/DaveGamble

The post, shared on Coles’ Facebook page, quickly attracted heaps of attention, many branding the employee “awesome” and “a star”.

“What a fabulous day for both of them! And WHO doesn’t LOVE biscuits! and chocolate,” one wrote.

“His smile says it all,” another declared.

“I hope Coles will recognise this staff member. Beautiful story!” someone else added.

While one said: “That smile just melts my heart.”

Dave’s post was later shared by other Facebook accounts, making the story go viral.

“It’s the little things that have a huge impact. Lovely story,” one person described it.

“Coles should certainly find out who he is and promote him. Awesome person,” someone else said.

Another social media user implored the supermarket giant to reward the staff member for his act of kindness.

A Coles spokesperson told news.com.au the employee was the store’s grocery manager Shane who was thrilled to receive the feedback.

“Shane our Grocery Manager is a positive and friendly team member,” Brad Giesen, store support manager at Coles Cardinia Lakes, said.

“The post has received great feedback from the team and customers and hopefully will inspire similar acts of kindness within the store.”

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