Another Father time story. I started to work when I was 15 with a regional dime store chain, Duke & Ayers. Duke & Ayers were only in Texas except they had one store in Idabel, OK. I started my career in retail at the store in Idabel, Ok. They promoted me to assistant manager when I graduated high school and before I was 21 I was managing my own store. Looking back, I was way to immature to run a store but I worked hard and was willing to take their low pay. I was managing the store in Honey Grove, TX when a tall slim young lady came in an applied for a job. By the way she had and still has the prettiest blue eyes I ever saw in my life. I was smitten and still am. I hired here and three weeks later I married her. Some one asked what took me that long. I went on vacation for a week so we just dated two weeks. Over the years I have hired some great people. I have hired people that went on to greatness in retail and other fields but she was my best hire. In 1974, I quit the dime store to run a Dairy Queen. Boy was that a mistake. I will leave it at that. A Wal-Mart had opened in Idabel, OK my home town. I went into the store there got an application and sent it to Bentonville, AR. A few days after I sent it, I got a call. The wanted me and my wife to come to Bentonville for an interview. The lady explained to me they would not interview me for store manager as I had applied, she would interview me for assistant manager. On our way into Bentonville we traveled a gravel state highway. We pulled up into the parking lot of the Wal-Mart home office. It looked so huge - offices and warehouse took up almost a city block. You know they were a big company as they had almost 75 stores. I was interviewed then they called Debbie back and interviewed her. They asked me how much the store I ran did in sales and profits. I proudly told them because I thought my store had done well. I was quickly told that most Wal-Mart stores had departments that did more in volume and profit. A few days after we got home, I got the call that Wal-Mart wanted me to come to work for them. Debbie and I had talked and we had decided on the amount we could live on. So when they called me and offered me a job, I told them I could not take any less than a certain amount to work for them. (I can not recall the amount) The person that called said Jerry, Wal-Mart will not pay you that low. Then she told me my starting pay - I thought I was rich. Looking back because of the hours they worked me back then I made less than minimum wages. The assistant managers were the lowest paid people in the store per hour. I will continue tomorrow with my story. As I look back over my life I wish I knew then what I know now. Yeah, I would have changed a bunch. Most of all I would have changed how I treated my Lord and Savior. I missed so many, many years serving Him. I would like each of you to search their heart - right now. No time that right now to turn your life around and know the peace that I have in Jesus Christ.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:11:17 +0000
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