Two dedicated women are celebrating their 40th anniversary working for the same company.
Carole Peters, 56, and Eleanor Bellis, 57, who work at the Boots branch at Eagles Meadow shopping centre, in Wrexham, can’t believe how the time has flown.
Fragrance consultant Carole, from Wrexham, started her career with the high street favourite in 1974, when glamorous female soul trio Three Degrees were number one in the charts with “’When Will I See You Again’.
She said: “It’s quite an achievement I think, to spend so much time working for the same company. It’s a very good firm and they look after their staff.
“It’s a lovely atmosphere to work in and we’re really like a family. You become very close when you’ve been working with people for so long because you’re with them all of the time.
“So much has changed since I started here. There weren’t any mobile phones in those days and we’d only just had a colour TV.
“There’s a much bigger range of products at Boots now. When I started we probably sold about half a dozen types of shampoo. Now we have an aisle full of different varieties.
“I really enjoy my job selling perfume. My favourite is Eternity by Calvin Klein. It’s a beautiful floral fragrance that can be worn during the day or night. Chanel has been very popular with customers over the years.
“It’s important to have a chat with customers to find out what they like so you can make sure they get the right perfume for them.
“I’ve got to know a lot of the customers very well. They become your friends. They staff are your family and the customers are your friends. Some customers have been coming in for years. Some of them have been coming in since I started at Boots and now have kids that are all grown up.
“We had a little party to celebrate the anniversary so there were balloons and bunting up and we had some cake.”
Operations assistant at Boots at Eagles Meadow, Eleanor, 57, from Wrexham, started at Boots as a Christmas temp at the age of 17.
“I can’t believe I’ve been here so long. I only came here for a Christmas job. The time does go quickly because you’re always busy which is good.
“I think what has kept me here so long are my colleagues and the company as a whole. Boots has always been a good company to work for. I plan on staying here until I retire, but that won’t be for a while yet.
“As part of my job I deal with deliveries and make sure the right stock is on the right shelves.
“There is a lot more choice for customers these days because the ranges have got a lot bigger.”
Lesley Chaloner, assistant manager at Boots at Eagles Meadow, feels proud to have had two members of staff stay with the firm for so long.
She said: “I think it’s important to have that continuity here, because they can help teach the next generation, and help to instil them with the right values.
“We have a lot of customers who come in just because they work here. They’re both lovely and this milestone just shows how dedicated they are to their jobs.”
Eagles Meadow manager Kevin Critchley added: “I think it’s an absolutely amazing achievement for Carole and Eleanor to have been with Boots for 40 years. They’ve shown remarkable loyalty and dedication and it says a lot about Boots as a company that they’re able to bring out these qualities in people.”
