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A Florida Publix worker's heartwarming friendship with a young valued customer has gone viral online after mom Rachel Smith shared a personal gesture between the two.
Smith's daughter Fiona met Publix employee Gilnet "when she was little" and now adorably refers to him as "high five" thanks to his trademark gesture upon seeing her. His small-yet-mighty weekly appearance in her life since she was a baby has provided "unquantifiable joy," according to her mom.
The moment Fiona searched the store for Gilnet to hand him over a thank you card has gained 7 million views online, after Gilnet gave her a bike for her birthday.
In the clip, Fiona walked the store, gazing around to spot Gilnet. As she turns a corner at the fruit aisle, she spots her favorite worker and the pair, dubbed the "most unlikely BFFs" by mother Smith, are united once more.
"She met him when she was little and sees him here every week," wrote Smith in the video. "Today she brought him a thank you card because he bought her a bicycle for her birthday."
@moophole The most unlikely BFF #publix #bff #kids
♬ To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra & Patrick Watson
Gilnet purchased Fiona a pink Disney princess bike to celebrate her birthday, with glitter tassels on the handlebars and images of the princess decorating it.
The duo embraced in the now-viral clip as he asked how she was doing.
"She calls him high five because ever since she was a baby, he gave her a high five when he saw her," explained Smith in a comment.
Since gaining attention online for the heartwarming friendship, Smith has set up a donations page as a way of showing appreciation to the Publix worker.
"Our favorite Publix worker, Gilnet, has always provided a smile, a hug and a high five for Fiona since she was a baby. She's come to know him as high five, and she looks forward to seeing him at Publix every week," wrote Smith in the GoFundMe page.
"He even got her a bicycle for her birthday. I'd love to give something tangible back to him for the unquantifiable joy he's given my daughter her whole life."
At the time of publication, with 375 donors she had reached the $5,000 goal, and the total is continuing to grow.
"This needs to be a Publix ad," commented one viewer, while another added that moments like it are "why I still have faith in this world."
It would seem the situation of Fiona and Gilnet isn't exactly a unique one either, as one donor offered a similar anecdote of their own child and a Publix employee.
"We have our own High Five at our Publix," they wrote. "Ms. Joy on the bakery at the five points Publix in Pace. She has been my son's bff since he was two and he is almost six. The entire store is full of High Five and coming from up north, shopping in Publix is truly a dream."
TikTok has become a prime spot for customers to show appreciation to workers who go out of their way to spread joy. Last month, an Uber Eats delivery driver went viral after leaving a poem and goody bag with a delivery.
The customer, Tracey Ramirez, took to the internet to find the driver and thank him personally. Like Smith, she also successfully set up a GoFundMe in a bid to repay the favor.
