When Sheila Wells goes to work, she knows she’s going to be around friends. That’s because of the attitude she has about the people she works with and customers she serves at the Super Duper Dollar Store in Cordova Bay.
“I just know everybody,” said Wells, who has worked at the Dollar Store as well as the Country Gift Shop at Mattick’s Farm for the past 14 years.
“Each store just has a real good feeling about it. I have just always found it important to give every face a name, so I have always taken steps to get to know each person by name.”
Wells was named Employee of the Year at the Cordova Bay Community Leadership Awards Tuesday night at the Beach House Restaurant.
“She really deserves this,” said Dollar Store manager Jeannie Kam, who nominated Wells for the award. “She’s more than just an employee, she’s a friend. I’m so lucky to have her to work with me.”
And Kam isn’t alone in her feelings for Wells, pointing out that nominations were also filled out by 30 of the store’s customers.
“She’s always helpful and friendly. She just has an outstanding attitude and makes sure the customers have been looked after,” said Kam.
Wells credits her father, who was a manager at Safeway, for her customer relations skills. “I had a good example.”
She said she never hesitates to ask a customer how their day has been or what their plans are for the weekend.
“When you ask people questions about themselves, they tend to respond. And you can get some pretty interesting conversations going,” said Wells.
And with the friendships she’s made around the community, Cordova Bay’s Employee of the Year is sure to be a topic of conversation for her customers for some time to come.