Malinowski retires after 50 years in the grocery business
GAYLORD — For 50 of the 66 years that Edward Malinowski has lived, he has known only one employer. On Dec. 30, 2022, he retired from a career that started at Glen's Market in Grayling and finished up at the Family Fare Supermarket in Gaylord.
In 1972, while still attending Grayling High School, Malinowski walked into the Glen's Market and filled out a job application. Soon he was hired as a part-time worker and after graduating from high school, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force before returning to Grayling and working again at the market.
Now 50 years later, he reflected on his journey as colleagues came in to congratulate him and offer best wishes.
"Working for the Catt family was a great experience, starting with C. Glen and then Glen A and Glen B. I got to know the whole family. They were excellent people to work for," Malinowski said.
Eventually the Catt family sold the business to SpartanNash and Malinowski continued working for the new company.
"SpartanNash has also been good to me," he said.
Working at Glen's and now Family Fare meant that Malinowksi acquired another family.
"Whenever I saw someone start working here I said you will end up having two families — yours and the one here," he said.
He has held just about every position there is in the grocery business. His favorite was delivering the mail to all the Glen's stores in Northern Michigan.
"I was on the road four days a week and I really enjoyed it," he said.
Malinowski admits there were a few times during the 50 years when he wondered if the grass was greener on the other side.
"It's gone through my mind at times. But I figured I was already set up here. I did get to know people that did things I was interested in. I thought OK, but it's about the same," he said.
Malinowski said family kept him and his brother in Northern Michigan. In his new free time, he intends to do more bowling, camping, fishing and traveling.
Malinowski said he has developed a friendship with some of the customers from the markets over the years, including some who went to school with his father.
"There are customers I remember well because they always came in," he said.
Like everything else, the grocery business has experienced a lot of changes over the years.
"It's very competitive now. Before we could make deals to sell products. Now you are making a profit but you also have to compete with the other stores," said Malinowski.
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Technology has also left a lasting imprint on the business. In the beginning, cash registers were there to just store money and make change for the customers. Now they are computers.
"We used to punch in all of the prices and make sure they were correct," he said. "Now you start scanning but you still have to watch the prices. There is now self checkouts. Some of the customers like that and some don't."
Malinowski was around when Michigan went to deposits on bottled and canned beverages.
"In the beginning it was a lot of work. We didn't have the automatic can smashers and we had to actually bag the cans and bottles by hand," Malinowski said. "It's a lot better now because one driver picks up (the returns). We used to have several drivers do it."
— Contact reporter Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Malinowski retires after 50 years in the grocery business
