Granby, NY -- When Chris Tuttle arrived at work Monday, his managers at Wegmans on Route 57 in Clay told him customers had been calling the store asking for him.

One woman stopped by with a thank-you note addressed to Tuttle.

And strangers stopped to ask: "Are you Chris Tuttle?" A husband and wife who normally shop at the Cicero Wegmans told Tuttle they drove to his Wegmans just to meet him.

"It makes me feel good," Tuttle said, smiling.

Chris Tuttle, who has Asperger's Syndrome, has worked at the Wegmans on Route 57 for the last seven years. Most know him as a happy, easy going caring guy. On Saturday, a customer gave him a hard time when she claimed he was checking her out too slowly. His sister Jamie Virkler posted the incident on Facebook and thousands came to his defense.

Tens of thousands of people have rallied behind Tuttle, 28, of Van Buren, after his sister Jamie Virkler, 43, of Lysander, asked friends on Facebook if they could help cheer up her brother who had a tough day at work this weekend.

On Saturday, a customer yelled at Tuttle because he was checking her out too slowly, Virkler posted on the Turtle Landing Retreat Facebook page.

Tuttle has Asperger's syndrome and was upset by the incident. Tuttle said he was called to help at the checkout because Wegmans was busy Saturday. He said he opened the register for the woman, whom he had never met. As he bagged her groceries, she started yelling, Tuttle said.

"I was too slow for her," he said. "She said she had other stuff to do on a Saturday."

Tuttle said he wrapped a candle the customer had purchased, but it fell from the front of the grocery cart to the ground and shattered. After he finished bagging her groceries, Tuttle said he smiled and wished the woman a nice day. He then thanked her for shopping at Wegmans.

But the woman wasn't happy. She complained to his manager and continued to yell for everyone to hear.

"It made me feel like crap," Tuttle said during an interview Monday at Turtle Landing Retreat in Granby.

Tuttle said his manager quickly took him off register duty. Then after work, he went home and told his family what had happened.

A Wegmans spokeswoman said Monday the company is proud of the way its employees handled a challenging incident at the store on Route 57 over the weekend.

Virkler said she never expected the Facebook post to attract so much attention. In one day, the post was liked more than 76,000 times and shared more than 11,800 times. It also attracted more than 12,000 comments.

Tuttle said he also has received friend requests and messages from people in Australia, Greece, England, Canada and throughout the United States. Someone in Melbourne, Australia invited Tuttle to his house, he said. Tuttle and Virkler also have heard from parents with children with Asperger's syndrome.

Tuttle was in kindergarten when he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, his sister said. "We have always treated Chris like Chris, and not somebody with special needs," Virkler said.

Asperger's is characterized by some of the same features as autism, including difficulties with social interactions, according to the U.S. Autism and Asperger Association. In Tuttle's case, he has difficulty moving on after an experience like the one over the weekend.

Chris Tuttle says he's overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he's received since friends, family and even strangers learned that a customer yelled at him Saturday for checking her out too slowly at Wegmans on Route 57 in Clay. Tuttle has Asperger's syndrome.

Pam Milac, a family friend, said she is amazed at how Tuttle's story has touched the lives of parents with children with Asperger's.

"A lot of parents with Asperger's children have said, 'Chris is my hero,'" Milac said. "It gives them hope their children don't have to live in this labeled box."

Tuttle started working at Wegmans in October 2006. He said he was named employee of the month in February, when he received a celebration cake and free $6 meal. On Monday, Tuttle said he was called to a meeting at work, where he learned he will be part of the company's C.A.R.E. team. C.A.R.E. stands for Caring, Appreciation and Recognizing Each other. Tuttle smiled from ear-to-ear as he explained that the C.A.R.E. team organizes holiday and employee appreciation gatherings, such as handing out flowers to all the mothers who work at Wegmans on Mother's Day.

"I love my job," Tuttle said. "I'm overwhelmed by all the support and the love by the people I don't know and I know. I just want to say thank you."

Virkler said she is still amazed at how the community has rallied around her brother.

"There is hope," Vikler said. "A lot of times something happens and you're like, oh my gosh, what's this world coming to. But to see that kind of response for something good, there's hope."

As for Tuttle, he said, "I'm letting it go and moving on."