Macy's employee retires after 73 YEARS on job: 'This was my first job and I didn’t go anyplace else'
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September 6 - Macy's employee retires after 73 YEARS on job: 'This was my first job and I didn’t go anyplace else' - ThatHustle.com
Rose Syracuse of Brookyn poses with the Daily News from her first day of work. She's retiring from the department store after 73 years on the job.
When Rose Syracuse started her job at Macy’s, “Gone with the Wind” was in theaters and FDR was in the White House.
Seventy-three years later, Syracuse is retiring as the longest-serving employee in the store’s history.
Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren presented Syracuse with a bouquet of roses on bended knee — as if to celebrate his employee’s long marriage to the so-called “World’s Largest Department Store.”
Syracuse was born in Pennsylvania, a coal miner’s daughter.
In 2008, she joined Macy’s execs to cut the ribbon at the start of the march.
She always worked behind the scenes at the flagship store, where she got her job after passing a math and typing test.
She was married five years later. Her husband, Carmine Syracuse, passed away in 1997.
When she started at the store, credit cards were decades away.
Customers deposited funds into accounts they held with Macy’s, then spent what they’d deposited. Syracuse worked as an authorizer, managing these accounts.
She went on to work for decades in the store’s phone and mail order department, until the Internet made her job obsolete.
Managers found a way to put her historical knowledge to use.
For the last three years she worked on archival projects for the department that organizes the parade and other special events.
She laughs about the year she got a $2 bonus at the end of the year. Even in an era of two-cent plains and 10-cent movie tickets, it was a low tip.
Tight-? bosses were offset by getting to watch the filming of the classic, “Miracle on 34th Street” inside the store.
Later, she rushed out to see it at the theater.
And in one important way, Syracuse will never cut ties with the store.
November, 1939 advertisement for Macy's, published in the Daily News.
Source: NY Daily News
September 6 - Macy's employee retires after 73 YEARS on job: 'This was my first job and I didn’t go anyplace else' - ThatHustle.com
Rose Syracuse of Brookyn poses with the Daily News from her first day of work. She's retiring from the department store after 73 years on the job.
When Rose Syracuse started her job at Macy’s, “Gone with the Wind” was in theaters and FDR was in the White House.
Seventy-three years later, Syracuse is retiring as the longest-serving employee in the store’s history.
“This was my first job and I didn’t go anyplace else,” Syracuse, 92, told The News after being feted by teary-eyed coworkers Wednesday. “I was happy here.”
Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren presented Syracuse with a bouquet of roses on bended knee — as if to celebrate his employee’s long marriage to the so-called “World’s Largest Department Store.”
“For us to be able to say that we’ve had anyone work for our company for 73 years is just a milestone that will never again be repeated,” said Wednesday.
She wouldn’t have even retired, but for a broken hip sustained six months ago in a fall.
“It breaks my heart,” she said.
She wouldn’t have even retired, but for a broken hip sustained six months ago in a fall.
“It breaks my heart,” she said.
Syracuse was born in Pennsylvania, a coal miner’s daughter.
“My father said, ‘My sons are not going into the coal mine. We’re moving to New York.’ And we’ve been here ever since.”
Her family settled in Brooklyn, and attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade every year.
“I watched it every year and every year it was more powerful,” she said.
Her family settled in Brooklyn, and attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade every year.
“I watched it every year and every year it was more powerful,” she said.
In 2008, she joined Macy’s execs to cut the ribbon at the start of the march.
She always worked behind the scenes at the flagship store, where she got her job after passing a math and typing test.
“You had to be good in order to be here,” she said proudly. “You had to go through a lot of tests.”
She was married five years later. Her husband, Carmine Syracuse, passed away in 1997.
When she started at the store, credit cards were decades away.
Customers deposited funds into accounts they held with Macy’s, then spent what they’d deposited. Syracuse worked as an authorizer, managing these accounts.
She went on to work for decades in the store’s phone and mail order department, until the Internet made her job obsolete.
“Change is so terrific,” she said. “One day you’re selling needles and thread, and the next thing you know it’s all high-class stuff.”
Managers found a way to put her historical knowledge to use.
For the last three years she worked on archival projects for the department that organizes the parade and other special events.
“The bosses now are nicer,” she said. “Then, they watched us like hawks.”
She laughs about the year she got a $2 bonus at the end of the year. Even in an era of two-cent plains and 10-cent movie tickets, it was a low tip.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
“I said,‘You’re kidding!” They said, ‘This is what we can afford now.’ I said, ‘When does it get better?’”
“I said,‘You’re kidding!” They said, ‘This is what we can afford now.’ I said, ‘When does it get better?’”
Tight-? bosses were offset by getting to watch the filming of the classic, “Miracle on 34th Street” inside the store.
“I came on the floor and all the machines were up, cameras,” she said.
Later, she rushed out to see it at the theater.
“It was wonderful,” she said. “We all got tickets.”
And in one important way, Syracuse will never cut ties with the store.
“I don’t shop any place else,” she said. “I’m still a customer.”
November, 1939 advertisement for Macy's, published in the Daily News.
Source: NY Daily News
September 6 - Macy's employee retires after 73 YEARS on job: 'This was my first job and I didn’t go anyplace else' - ThatHustle.com
Comments
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man and she never made it to CEO? you gotta be kidding me..
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LMAO at 73 years and not even being assistant manager.
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LOL...what a ? ? .
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she had to put up with alot of ? over the years
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Those days seem to be over. Nowadays people spend maybe 10 years with a company and then it is on to the next one.
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Maybe she liked her job and was cool with it. I see nothing wrong here
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Loyalty- she wrote the book on it.
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73 years and shes not an Exec or nothing.......what a joke that company made her look like.....this is a prime example why people are mostly no longer loyal to companies........wonder if she even made $20 an hour
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damn thats sad..
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Wonder if she had stock options...
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she better own or have some part of that damn company lol@ never being promoted to manager
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Some people dont want to be managers... Truth is sometimes being a manager just makes your life worse. Theres actually been studies done where once you mske over 42,000 a yr making anything more doesnt make you happier.
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Hey, if she was happy with it, oh well.
If she wasn't, she would've been gone. So, once again, oh well.