WINNEMUCCA - Christopher Betz started as a store clerk at the old Raley's location on Bridge Street straight out of high school on May 16, 1976, and will retire this Saturday, over 37 years later, as store director.
Betz said at first he wasn't sure what to think about his impending retirement since his whole career has consisted of working at Raley's and he has developed a "workaholic attitude."
As the day nears, however, he said he is feeling much more peaceful about the transition.
Betz, who graduated from Lowry High School but is originally from Calgary in Alberta, Canada, said within his first year working at Raley's he was promoted - from store clerk to what, at the time, was called drug center assistant manager step three. From there, he kept climbing the ladder.
His next move was the current Raley's building, which was built in 1978. There, he accepted the assistant manager position. Betz continued on to Reno, where he worked for about five years in four different Raley's stores.
The next promotion brought Betz back to the Winnemucca store as drug center manager. He then spent several years in Fallon and Sparks.
Betz moved back to Winnemucca for good 11 years ago and accepted his final position as store director. Betz didn't always know that Raley's would be where he would find his career, however.
"It wasn't until I was 10 years in that I realized this was a career," he said.
But Betz said he never saw his various positions with Raley's as "just a job" or "daily drudging." He said that his father instilled in him a good work ethic and his first Raley's manager instilled in him a good retail ethic. From there, his workaholic tendencies grew.
Betz moved around quite a bit during his career with Raley's, but said it only made him a better employee.
"Moving teaches you to grow," he said.
It didn't hurt that Raley's fosters what Betz considers a family atmosphere, where everyone works as a team and supports each other. Typically, he said, a person spends more time with his or her work family than actual family, so of course it will be "different, difficult," leaving his coworkers.
Betz will not only be saying goodbye to his coworkers, but also his long-time customers who have seen him grow up in the community and continue on to run the local grocery store.
"When I became the manager here it was like the hometown boy comes back and takes over the business," he said. "It's fun to see those reactions now that I'm retiring."
As for what Betz will do once he finishes his last shift this Saturday, he isn't quite sure. He acknowledges that the typical response is to spend time with friends and family, and says he does plan to do that for a couple of months. Betz has a wife and 11-year-old son in Winnemucca, a daughter and three grandchildren in Arizona, and a daughter in Idaho.
Once he has taken time to spend with family and reassess, however, he says he will consider his other options and maybe start a "twilight career."
"It's something you've always wanted to do, not a full-time job or something you have to do," he said.
As for the coworkers and customers he will be leaving behind, Betz won't be gone for good - he says he will still see them when he takes shopping trips to the store. It's still up in the air who will fill Betz's position, however.
Assistant Store Director Mariana Aguilar, who just transferred to Winnemucca from Reno, will take over the position temporarily while a replacement for Betz is found.
She said she is excited to step into the position, but sad to see Betz go.
"I've got some big shoes to fill," she said. "I like to say my whole body wouldn't fill even one of his shoes."
Aguilar said she is a little nervous about filling the leadership role, but knows that the Raley's team is solid and will be supportive during the transition.
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