Retiring associate looks back on 45 years of change at Walmart

At the age of 20, Rita Seesengood took a job at a Mansion Mall retailer selling health and beauty items.

She never dreamed that 45 years later, she would retire from Walmart Supercenter as an administrative assistant to managers overseeing 24 stores across the state.

“I was just a young girl that needed a job,” said Seesengood, a native of the area who graduated from Poplar Bluff High School in 1971. “The one thing I’ve always told people with Walmart is, if you don’t like the way things are, hang around, because they’re going to change.”

The biggest of those changes came when the retailer moved to the much larger supercenter building in April 1990. It had been located at Mansion Mall for about 20 years by that time.

They expanded overnight from general merchandise to groceries and much more.

“It was a big change for all of us,” said Seesengood.

Change has come again for workers at the store, with several longtime associates, like Seesengood, retiring this year.

Seesengood’s last day was Friday. Her co-workers and friends held a retirement reception at the beginning of the month. She was joined for the celebration by Sheri MacDonald, an employee of the optical department, and Mimi Browning, a training coordinator, who also retired this year after starting at the Mansion Mall store.

“It takes a lot of dedication. Walmart, they expect a lot of you,” said Seesengood, 66, offering advice to her younger co-workers, “Watch how you treat everybody, from maintenance to clerks, because they may come back some day and be your boss. It’s happened twice that an hourly employee has worked their way up to store manager (here).”

Seesengood attributes some of her success to the encouragement of former Walmart store manager Steve Halter.

“He encouraged me to take this position,” said Seesengood, adding, “I had a great market team.

“We all supported each other in that. My years of experience, that helped a lot too.”

Seesengood was administrative assistant to market managers Gary Eichhorn and Robin Torretta, who each manage 12 stores in Missouri. She also assisted a human resources manager who worked with 24 stores.

Her duties included following up with other stores and making sure procedures were followed correctly.

Seesengood is already enjoying retirement, with spur-of-the-moment trips to the Current River and Biloxi, Mississippi with friends.

Travel and time with family are part of her plans.

Seesengood has two children, Amy Folsom of Sikeston and Jeffrey Seesengood of Poplar Bluff and six grandchildren. Her husband, Frank, is a retired builder.