Australia’s second-largest retailer, Coles has not only been in the news for its excellent products but also for its mind-blowing customer service.
Now one shopper has shared how he was blown away after witnessing an exchange between a worker and his son at a Coles, Cardinia Lakes store.
Dave a resident of Victoria, took to Facebook to share a post about a meaningful exchange he witnessed between his 8-year-old son, Tim, who is autistic and non-verbal, and a Coles worker.
Tim approached the Coles worker as he was unpacking biscuits onto a shelf and the kind-hearted employee responded by including Tim in his activity, which made the young boy’s day with the “amazingly generous gesture”.
In his post, Dave gave a shout out to the Coles staff member for making the effort to socialize with Tim during these challenging times.
“Shout out to this amazing team member from this morning at your Cardinia Lakes store,” Dave said.
“When my non-verbal, autistic son approached him, 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.
“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 socialize 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.”
‘What a champion’
Dave’s post got hundreds of responses from people who were moved by Tim’s experience.
“That smile just melts my heart. Such a beautiful story,” said one.
“His face says it all. Thank you, staff member – you are so kind and compassionate.”
“He’s given hope to so many parents, it’s not just the parents of this little dude, this story has touched many hearts!”
A Coles spokesperson responded saying, “We are always looking at ways we can meet the differing needs of our customers by creating a shopping environment in which our customers and team members feel comfortable,” the spokesperson said.
“Coles was the first major supermarket to offer Quiet Hour, which makes a difference for our customers who find it challenging to shop in a heightened sensory environment by making changes in store such as reducing noise, lighting and distractions.
“We are always delighted to hear stories of our team members creating special shopping moments for our customers and we are grateful the parents have taken the time to acknowledge the positive impact by our Cardinia Lakes team.”
Dave did not expect such a huge response from his post, “I’m a little taken aback, to be honest! Just wanted the Coles member and his boss to know he was a good guy,” he said.
