Mary Ellen is known for her lively chat on Facebook, but even she was surprised when one of her posts made national headlines. Her fond farewell to Bernadino a long-standing product, went viral when her followers expressed their sadness about it being discontinued. But it wasn’t just South City customers who were upset about this, it was their friends and their friends’ friends.
Mary Ellen is the manager of South City Liquorland, she’s a familiar face to many as she has been part of the team for over 20 years. Starting out as a casual she worked her way to Assistant Manager and finally taking over as Manager 6 years ago.
During her career, she has built up an extensive product knowledge base while continuing to develop her business skills. She is passionate about empowering those around her and helping to develop their capabilities.
“I’m keen to share my knowledge with my team, giving them some ownership of the store through helping create displays, attending training, or building their understanding of behind-the-scenes operations. I want to create a legacy and work alongside them.”
Her hands-on management approach regularly sees her on the floor, engaging with customers rather than sitting behind a desk. She loves interacting with her customer and it helps keep her in touch with the latest trends.
“The best part about my job is that I get to be myself, it’s a relaxed atmosphere where I can interact with customers and have fun with the team.”
“Plus, the hours are flexible and work around family or study commitments. It’s the best of both worlds.”
Her personalised approach to managing the team helps to deliver a great in store experience for the customers and a fun working environment for the team.
