In a story that has many users on X saying that humanity still exists, an elderly Walmart employee goes viral-and the outcome is a positive one.
A coworker working as a third-party phone vendor at Walmart noticed 81-year-old Nola Carpenter resting in the employee break room and appearing exhausted. Moved by what they saw, the coworker shared the story on TikTok with the caption, "Life shouldn't be this hard," and the video quickly amassed more than 30 million views.
19-year-old Devan Bonagura secretly filmed 81-year-old Walmart cashier
— NOLLY (@omoelerinjare1) June 15, 2026
Nola Carpenter resting alone in the break room of a Hackettstown, New Jersey store. Exhausted after more than 20 years on the job to pay off her mortgage—while her injured husband couldn’t work—she looked… pic.twitter.com/0b8miokRDS
The two began talking. Carpenter had to work due to her husband's injuries. Bonagura then started a GoFundMe for Carpenter, which got over $100 thousand in 24 hours. He later said he was contacted by Walmart managers.
Bonagura took to TikTok again to explain that Walmart managers confronted him and wanted him to delete the video and shut down the fundraiser. They even warned that police could get involved.
"Do whatever you have to do. I'm getting this money to her," Bonagura said.
When he found Carpenter in the parking lot and showed her the donations on the GoFundMe, he learned additional details about her financial situation. Carpenter still owed $160,000 on her mortgage, prompting additional support from donors.
After the fundraiser reached $186,000, when he showed Carpenter the final total of the fundraiser, she cried. None of this would have happened without him, she said. With the money, she was finally able to retire after the holiday season. Many commenters expressed joy after learning Carpenter would be able to retire.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify all claims made in the viral TikTok and subsequent social media posts.
