According to the latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the median number of years that employees have been with their current employer is 4.1 years. We often hear of young adults, specifically in their 20s and 30s, leaving their jobs after two or three years.
It’s extremely rare to hear about people staying ten or twenty years at the same job or at the same company.
Terry Howard shows us the complete opposite of these statistics.
Howard spent an incredible 47 years working at the same King Soopers supermarket.
King Soopers is a popular supermarket chain in Colorado and the brand has been around since 1947.
Out of those 47 years Howard spent working at the King Soopers branch off 225 and Parker Road in Denver, Colorado, she spent 46 years working in the produce department.
“You’ve got to keep the vegetables fresh,” Howard says while spraying the produce with water.
She’s finally retiring after working at the Kings Soopers supermarket since 1975.
This remarkable milestone was covered by the local news, and rightly so.
They spoke to Howard and asked how she felt about this special day. They also asked how her life had been for the past 47 years while she was working at the supermarket.
She shared that her retirement hasn’t hit her yet. This is not surprising; anyone in the same position would feel the same way after holding the same job for more than forty years.
Howard dedicated almost her entire life to the store, and her retirement will mean a noticeable change in pace.
“I come in at three in the morning. Some days, I really didn’t want to get up,” Howard told 9News with a laugh.
Howard was happy throughout her interview, and it’s great to see that she truly enjoyed working at the King Soopers.
“I met so many people. It’s amazing. I have a customer that comes in here, and he had a baby ten years ago, and that baby is now like this,” Howard said while lifting her hand to about her height.
The store also recognized her loyalty and dedication to the job.
Howard cut the ribbon during the store re-opening ceremony when the original King Soopers store was torn down and re-built in the same location.
Of course, her co-workers celebrated her retirement and they enjoyed the last day of her job together with her.
They threw a get-together, congratulating her and celebrating the last 47 years. Some were joking that she would still stay near the store because she was so used to being there.
“It’s a big deal that someone commits and works so long to their job and one place like this, which is not regular nowadays,” a co-worker said.
When asked what she was going to do tomorrow, “Sleep in!” she answered with a smile.
It’s incredible to see Howard’s dedication and loyalty to her job. Like her co-worker said, this is rare nowadays, and it’s refreshing to see someone who truly loves her job that she stayed for over four decades.
We could all learn a lesson or two in loyalty, dedication, and perseverance from Terry. We wish her all the best!
Watch Terry Howard’s last day at work in the video below.
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