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