There’s a certain comfort when you’ve been working at the same place for a long time. The workplace becomes a home away from home with co-workers that are like family. In her ten years of employment at the Albany ShopRite, Christina had found that sense of family. Even when she moved from an apartment in Albany to one in Niskayuna in December 2020, she continued working there, making the commute to the Albany store via STAR bus or taxi, which proved to be difficult sometimes.
One of the people Christina became close to in the Albany store was the Customer Service Manager, Marian. Early this past year, Marian transferred to the Niskayuna store. That shift sparked an idea for Christina’s job coach Brian. Brian suggested that perhaps Christina would consider transferring to Niskayuna as well. Marian said that she would love to keep working with Christina, who in turn dared to be brave and approached the idea with excitement. The shift was approved and Christina transferred in July, embodying the wisdom of Confucius- “Wherever You Go, Go With All Your Heart.”
Christina now has a new work family that embraces her with affection and support. Her supervisor said “I love having Christina at my store. She is friendly with everyone and she always finishes her chores. Christina is awesome. She’s such a nice person and she always says hello to everyone. I wish I had more employees like her.”
Christina said she loves the new store and, to her delight, the commute only takes a few minutes. She works Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am-2:00 pm bagging items and doing re-shops. She loves it so much that she occasionally picks up some extra hours on Saturdays.
We applaud Christina for her 11 years of employment at ShopRite and for her courage in changing store locations. Living Resources job coaches are always there to support, prepare, and assist others in reaching for those opportunities and goals that empower them to lead their best life.