90-Year-Old Employee Surpassed ‘Every Expectation’ & Retires After Working At Department Store For 74 Years

Jul 11, 2023

Being in the workforce is a different experience for different people. While some love their jobs, others are just in the system to make ends meet, settle bills, and care for themselves and their families. The passion for working at a particular place is often reflected in a person's attitude toward the job. This means that many people are unsatisfied with their jobs and are just there to satisfy a need. 

As a result of this dissatisfaction, several people tend to hop from one job to another in search of one that will make them feel purposeful. Empirical evidence from several sources revealed that employees always look for other jobs for flexibility, higher wages, or pure dissatisfaction in their current role.

On the other end of the spectrum, people who are pleased with their jobs can remain at a company for a long time. People who dedicate their career lives to one company, or only a couple of companies do so for several reasons, including seniority, leadership, stability, proper retirement benefits, career growth, and job satisfaction, among others. 

Although it might be underrated or overlooked, job satisfaction, which is the feeling of fulfillment that a person derives from their job, is one of the reasons people remain long-term at a company. One such person who devoted her entire career to a company is 90-year-old Melba Mebane. She retired from Dillard's in Tyler, Texas, in June 2023, after working at the company for 74 years. Continue reading to get the details of Melba Mebane’s long-term service to Dillard’s.

Serving a company you do not own for decades may be a mystery, but Mebane has demystified it. The 90-year-old retail worker took a bow from her sales job at Dillard's department store after working with them for 74 years. What's more, she never missed a day of work in those seven decades. 

In 1949, when she was 17, Mebane joined the Mayer & Schmidt department store as an elevator girl. The store was later acquired in 1956 by Dillard's, and she remained with them, rising in ranks from an elevator girl to a salesperson.

Besides showing up for her job, Mebane always found a way to keep everyone, from her colleagues to customers, in high spirits. In a chat with Fox News, the store manager for Dillard's in Tyler, James Saenz, credited Mebane for being dedicated to her role.

"Melba sets the tone for everything, every expectation, every customer service quality that we look for in a luxury experience," Saenz shared. 

Saenz continued, "She provides all of it to the team. Can you imagine how many people she coached and taught and trained to aspire to be more?"

Mebane was not only dedicated to her role but also played a motherly role to many people, touching as many lives as she could.

"It's just amazing to think of how many people's lives she touched," Sanez added. "She's not just a salesperson. She's a mother. She guides you. She gives you advice on life. She's amazing."

In a chat with KLTV, Mebane revealed her feelings about working in her company and said:

“I loved everybody there, and I loved to go to work every day.”

To celebrate her long-term service to the department store, she was awarded the Beyond Excellence award at a retirement party Dillard’s hosted in her honor — an honor well and truly deserved!

What do you think of Melba Mebane working at the same place for over seven decades? Do you admire her attitude to work? What’s the longest you have spent at a company? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends and family members.