Walmarts Greeter in Retirement

by Bill
(Tampa, Florida)

I retired in 2003 after working for 40 years at a law firm in Tampa, Florida.

I am married with seven grandchildren and frequently take vacations to visit them. However, I do have a lot of free time and when I first retired I found myself to be rather bored.

I had a friend who mentioned volunteering and I began to research my options. After looking at various volunteer websites, I decided to talk to Wal-mart.

I knew that the greeters at the door were always nice and caring, but frequently older people. I wanted to know if this was a paid or volunteered position.

After speaking with them and discovering I could volunteer there every week, I decided this would be a great opportunity to interact with others and make someone's day by giving them a simple smile and hello.

I've been greeting people at Wal-mart for the past six years and have enjoyed every minute.

I typically work about four days a week, bright and early in the morning. I enjoy meeting new people and spending time out of the house being active.

The only down point of this position is that I have to stand for six hours straight.

I do get a break and I typically sit on a bench the entire time outside, but I am 69 and my legs are not as strong as they used to be.

However, I feel that my legs are getting a little stronger since I am standing on them for an extended period of time, but the opportunity to interact with others makes the volunteer position a great benefit to my life.