I had a ten-year career in retail that began as a part-time stock person in the toy department at the Woolco store in Greeley, Colorado. Woolco, the discount division of the Woolworth Company, operated large stores offering everything from auto services to candy. The store I worked at was 75,000 square feet and employed dozens of staff. I quickly advanced within the company and eventually became a front-end supervisor. In this role, I was responsible for overseeing the checkouts, approving checks, and ensuring the registers were stocked with change. As I neared the completion of my college degree, I began searching for a permanent career opportunity.
The University of Northern Colorado had an excellent placement office, and I secured several interviews with retail and insurance companies. I interviewed with State Farm for a junior underwriter position, as the company had a regional office in Greeley and plenty of local opportunities. At the same time, I spoke with the manager of my Woolco store, who offered to arrange a meeting with the district manager for the Woolworth division. Woolworth stores were smaller than Woolco but had a century-long history as variety stores. At the time, the Woolworth Company was the fifth-largest retail company in the world. While I was primarily interested in managing larger stores, I thought the interview would be valuable practice.
The meeting was set at a Woolworth store on Krameria Street and Colfax Avenue in Denver. This store, much smaller than Woolco at only 7,000 square feet, had a lunch counter where the interview was held—a stark contrast to the formal, office-based interviews I had experienced before. I met J.R. Wells, the district manager for Denver, who was from Arkansas, and quickly realized this would be a unique experience. We discussed the company and its smaller stores. Midway through the conversation, he ordered coffee and pie for both of us. Over coffee and apple pie, I was offered the position of assistant manager trainee, which I accepted on the spot.
At the time, I didn’t realize that the training program would take two years before I could manage my own store. While I thought I knew enough, I was surprised by how thorough the program was—it was among the most comprehensive in the industry. By the time I completed it, I had learned more about products and management than any college course could have taught me. Even now, 40 years later and three decades removed from working for the company, much of that training remains ingrained in my memory.
Mr. Wells assured me that, as I advanced, I could transfer to the Woolco division if I still wanted to manage large stores. He saw this role as a foot in the door. As it turned out, Woolco ceased operations less than two years later, so accepting the Woolworth position proved to be the right decision.
Edited for clarity & grammar using AI.