South Shields Boots worker set to retire after 50 years

Ingrid Wright is set to retire after working in South Shields' Boots store for 50 years.

Transcript

00:0050 years working here at South Shields Boots, coming to retirement, how does it feel to have

00:05done 50 years here? I actually can't believe that I've done 50 years, it doesn't seem that long.

00:11Obviously there's been lots happened in the meantime but it doesn't feel like 50 years.

00:15Now obviously you started two weeks after leaving school at the age of 16

00:19and as a Saturday job, how did it blossom into spending 50 years here? Yes I know,

00:24I wasn't meant to be, it wasn't the job that I ever wanted. My father encouraged us to apply

00:28for the job and a lovely manager, George Mitchell, gave me the job on the spot and told me to start

00:34the following week which I was quite devastated by because I'd just left school and thought I

00:39should have my six weeks holidays. He told me once you entered the world of adulthood you didn't get

00:44six weeks school holidays so I started two weeks after leaving school. Obviously retail has changed

00:51massively over the past 50 years, what are some of the changes that you've noticed? Obviously we

00:56still have a lot of customers that I've probably served for most of those years who I've grown up

01:01with and they've become lovely friends. Obviously retail business is quite different to what it

01:06used to be but it's still a lovely, it's very lively, we're very busy and it's just I love that

01:11busy, the sort of buzz that we'll get in the store all the time. What's been some of the highlights

01:16for you? Working with so many fabulous people. Obviously you know 50 years is a long

01:23time, obviously ahead of retirement, what are you going to miss most about being here?

01:29I think I'll miss my colleagues an awful lot and I'll miss the lovely customers. I have some

01:36really lovely customers and I'll miss the buzz of the store. Obviously after half a decade well

01:40deserved rest coming up now, what's your plans for retirement? I'm off to the Argo for a couple

01:45of weeks just to relax and take it all in first and then obviously I've got lots of friends to

01:51catch up with and a few trips planned away. So, so far we're right up until about September

01:57we'll have a few holidays booked and obviously spending time with my family. I don't get a lot

02:02of time to spend with my daughter who's a nurse so I'm looking forward to spending time with her as well.