90-year-old woman who never missed a day's work reveals final straw that made her quit her job
Topics: News
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: KLTV 7/FOX
Topics: News
Melba Mebane showed just how much she valued her job as she never missed a single day in over 70 years
A lot of people across the world don’t like their jobs and essentially just see it as a way to put food on the table.
For those that do enjoy their work, even they might feel like they need a day off - especially if they were feeling under the weather.
However, that wasn’t the case for 90 year-old Melba Mebane, who only retired from her job at department store Dillard in Tyler, Texas, last year.
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She was initially hired as a 17-year-old all the way back in 1949 and proved to be one of the store’s most valued employees.
Her first role was as an elevator operator and for the following six decades she would arrive promptly by 9am to bag a spot in the property’s colossal car park.
Speaking about this to the press last year, she said: “I loved going to work every day.
"If you're happy with what you're doing, why not keep doing it?"
In June 2023, however, Mebane began to find the 30 minute commute to work increasingly difficult, and after 74 years, she called it quits from Dillard.
"As soon as I walked through the door, I put my car keys on the table, looked at my son, and said, 'I'm done,'" she told CNBC.
Her son Terry also recalled 'growing up' at the fashion and cosmetic department store.
"She's a grinder," he told the news outlet. "The store would open at 10 and she wanted her parking spot, so she got there between 9 o’clock and 9:15.
"She was the first person in the door and had her counter ready. She did the prep work. She only took 30 minutes for lunch.
"She brought her lunch, went upstairs to eat lunch in 25 minutes, and then she was back on the floor because she knew that people often took off [during] their lunch hour to come to the mall to buy what they were going to buy, and she didn’t want to miss her opportunity."
During her career, Mebane went from the men's clothing department to the cosmetics counter, believing she'd found the right fit for her.
She remained on the beauty counter - offering advice and assistance to customers who travelled from all over Texas - until she retired last year.
Mebane also revealed that throughout the duration of her time working at the store, she refused to take a sick day, even when she was feeling under the weather.
"I liked my friends at work, and I wanted to keep them, so I just focused on being the best salesperson I could be."
When she turned 65, Mebane was told by management that she could continue working at the store as long as she wanted, and that when she retired this year, they'd actually begged her to stay.
"Can you imagine how many people she coached and taught and trained to aspire to be more?" her store manager James Saenz told Fox News Digital.
"It’s just amazing to think of how many people's lives she touched," he added.
"She's not just a salesperson. She's a mother. She guides you. She gives you advice on life. She’s amazing."