This associate is hanging up her badge in exchange for more shifts as grandma.
When Margaret Ashbacher first walked into Store 72 in Pittsburg, Kansas, she was just 24 years old and the store was, well, not even a store.
“It was a totally empty building — absolutely nothing there except pallets of fixtures and pallets of freight,” Margaret explains. “They had guys that were putting fixtures and stuff together. And then a bunch of us priced merchandise and when they got the shelving up, we helped put it out on the shelves.”
Since those days 50 years ago, the store has grown and moved, with a Supercenter replacing the small original location. Margaret herself has changed with the job.
On the first day, she didn’t know anyone at the brand-new store and was nervous to go in. Nowadays, she says the people are the best part of the job. She enjoys interacting with customers and helping them find what they need.
Margaret started her career as a cashier. She worked a split shift, driving to work in her 1972 Monte Carlo. “I’d work in the morning, then I'd go home and then I'd come back in the evening,” she explains.
Over the years, she’s worked as a department manager, in stocking 1 and has helped with invoicing. Most of her career was spent doing DSD — direct store delivery — checking in merchandise sent through delivery services such as UPS or FedEx.
Margaret encourages younger associates to consider making their job at Walmart into a career, noting the good benefits and the many opportunities for moving up.
When people ask how she managed to stay so long, she replies, “Because I liked my job. I liked what I did.”
On December 15, 2023, Margaret will retire from her 50-year career. She says she enjoys reading and crocheting (and admits to binging Netflix), but mostly she’s looking forward to spending time with her grandkids, including babysitting the four elementary-aged kids after school.
“Once I babysit them a week or two, I might be wanting my job back,” she jokes.
Thank you for your hard work and commitment, Margaret. We’re sure you’ll be missed by both associates and customers!
Visit our Milestone page to celebrate all of our long-term associates celebrating big work anniversaries this month.
