Tomorrow is my dad's last day as a grocery store manager. He has worked for Kroger for 25+ years. He is finally retiring and I am so excited for him. He will still work somewhere (not sure where yet), but hopefully not the same insane hours.
This may seem like rambling, but I wanted to write down some memories while they are fresh in my head.
I remember when my dad was laid off from his job at an oil company. I was in elementary school and I had no idea what he did, but I remember we bought an answering machine in case someone called with a job interview and we were not home. The next thing I knew he was working at the grocery store. I would go after school sometimes and do my homework in his office. It was upstairs and there was a window to look out over the whole store. It was so cool to watch the shoppers and employees from above.
My dad was always bringing home old displays. We had a huge Coke cooler on the back deck and in my room was a Fruit Loops display with a big toucan on the top. I hung purses and belts from it. In my first apartment I remember displaying my VHS tapes on a wine shelf from the store. All my dad's jackets, all our pool toys, dishes and even the shelving in the garage had some form of advertising on it.
Every year my dad went to the Food and Grocery Show. This is where new products were released before you could buy them. He always brought the most bizarre things home. Most memorable: Nerds cereal. The box had two openings just like the candy. I think all the neighborhood kids came over to see that one.
If it was going to snow, my dad had to sleep at the store. There was no closing the grocery store in case of inclimate weather, in fact it was always a huge money maker. The day before Thanksgiving was also a late nighter. They did close on Christmas day and that is when me and my brother got to run up and down the aisles of the empty store. You see, my dad had to go "check the refrigeration". If for any reason a freezer or refrigerator stopped working thousands of dollars would be lost, so we would go to the store with Dad to make sure everything was working properly. And Jason and I would act like monkeys since no one was watching.
Since my dad worked tons of nights, weekends and holidays he would often take me out of school during the week for a "date". He always said I should study hard and get good grades, but he also taught me sometimes you had to focus on relationships with family. We would watch Price is Right and eat ice cream and laugh and talk. He probably did this two or three times a year.
Other things I remember: the baler, the vendors who brought tickets to concerts and sporting events, the Valentine's I helped out in floral, Big K cola, snacks in the deli and playing on the intercom.
So here is to the end of an era. Congrats, Dad, on your hard work. As a child it put food on our table, braces on my teeth and clothes (covered in advertising) on my back. I hope you enjoy a relaxing retirement.
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