Retail Diaries…Part Two

By Patricia Racine

August 2025

To me the most challenging part of running a business was the human element. I believe most people would assume that the biggest challenges would come from the customers. How wrong they are. The greatest frustrations and pride come from managing employees, especially when there are thirty or so different personalities and backgrounds spending so much time together. But, for me, so many of my former employees have brought me joy during their employment and continued pride in their accomplishments after their years at Katie’s. Those are the memories that I hold close to my heart and would like to share here.

I was working one night probably 20 years ago with Tim, I on the register and he in the Deli, when I heard a loud smack followed by “You like that?” I meandered to the back of the store, not rushing because I knew we were alone in the store, and found him making a burger, but the little weirdo had formed the pile of burger into a huge butt and was smacking it. Needless to say, the two of us began laughing hard enough to cry.

One summer we had 16-year-old Vegas working for us. My dad asked him early in his employment if he could drive, to which he answered “of course.” So, Vegas got to do the bank and post office runs in my dad’s vehicle; that is until he got pulled over by the Otis PD for an expired sticker. It was at this point that we found out that, yes, he could drive but didn’t have a license yet. After that we didn’t ask if one could drive but, rather,  did they have a legal driver’s license.

A few years ago we were having an issue with our soft serve mix bags. Multiple times that summer we would come in to find that the bags had sprung a leak and the floor was covered in liquid ice cream. There is a photo I have of Megan sitting on the floor, legs all akimbo, covered in ice cream and laughing.

When the kids were out of school in the Spring of 2020, we had them working while we were curbside only and honestly that was a great time because it was just us in the store, no customers, and we could have fun. Well, one day we decided to put Matt in the ice chest out front of the store with his phone recording and send the new guy, Artie out to get ice. I’m really surprised Artie still talks to me because Matt scared the crap out of him.

More often than not we hired our employees at the tender age of fourteen and had them through high school and well into college. So we got the honor of watching them grow up in addition to hopefully giving them the tools to take into their future employment.

I could go on all day about the fond and funny memories I have of my former employees, but space is limited. Those kids mean the world to me, and I love seeing the wonderful adults they have grown into. Topping my list is holding the babies of former employees and being saluted by Artie in his Marine dress uniform when he returned from boot camp. These kids challenged my patience and sanity, but I love them dearly.