After 46 years at Hy-Vee grocery store, Maggi Steffl retired on Friday, Oct. 18. Saturday, Oct. 19 she returned to the store to celebrate her retirement party with her work family.

NEW ULM – At 1:55 p.m. Friday, Oct.18, Maggi Steffl punched out of her shift at Hy-Vee grocery store for the final time after a 46-year career at the store.

Leaving the store was not easy. Steffl said it was hard to punch out, comparing it to leaving family.

Steffl started her career at Hy-Vee in February 1978. At the time, her boyfriend Pat Steffl–now her husband–was already working at the store. He worked days, and she worked part-time in the afternoon. Pat would get another full-time job elsewhere, but Maggi remained at Hy-Vee.

Her first job at Hy-Vee was working in the deli department. From there should would move to the bakery, but for the first two years she only worked part-time. It was not until 1980 that Steffl decided to become a full-time employee of Hy-Vee.

Steffl said her decision to become a full-time employee was a practical one. She and Pat had married and wanted to start a family.

“I realized as a full-time employee I would have better insurance,” she said. “That was the priority in the beginning.”

Over time, Steffl’s responsibilities at the store added departments. By the mid-1980s, Hy-Vee added a video rental section. Steffl was put in charge of the rental section, which included other customer relation responsibilities.

Steffl was there too when Hy-Vee moved locations. The grocery store moved a few blocks south to the former K-Mart building.

“That was a big deal,” Steffl said of the move. The new location offered more space than the original store. Hy-Vee was able to incorporate more departments. She was still in video rental but began taking on customer service and customer care roles; something she would grow to love.

“Taking care of people was my primary responsibility,” she said. “You are usually the first and last person the customer sees at the store. When the customer leaves, you want it to be a happy resolution.”

Steffl said she would advise new employees to imagine the customers as family.

“Treat customers like they are family,” she said. “How would you treat this person if it were your mom.”

This means empathizing with the customer and taking responsibility when things do not go perfectly. This means something as simple as saying “I am sorry” when things go wrong. “I am sorry things didn’t work out right, I am sorry that item was not available.” That level of connection can make all the difference with customers.

Steffl said she had the privilege of training many young people who worked at the grocery store. For many New Ulm youth, Hy-Vee was their first job. Steffl said she found training in young people to be very rewarding.

“I remember this one 16-year-old girl who started out incredibly shy. She had trouble looking people in the eye,” Steffl said. “After a few years, she became a strong, brave employee.”

Steffl said this girl has since moved on to another career, but still lives in the New Ulm community and will come into the grocery store with her family.

“It’s wonderful seeing how far she’s come,” Steffl said.

Steffl said it is common for former student workers to approach her and ask if she remembers them.

“I usually do,” she said. “It is so rewarding to see these kids move on and have families.”

Steffl said it was difficult to retire. She had reached retirement age but wanted to make sure the next generation of employees could take over.

Steffl said it was one of the most difficult clock-outs of her career. She worked at Hy-Vee for 46 years and it is not easy to leave it behind.

“It is hard to step back. It’s like sending a firstborn to college,” she said. “Will they be ok without me? Did I share enough information?”

Steffl is confident in the next generation of employees. As technology plays a bigger role in grocery stores, she has found the new employees are ready to take up the challenge. She said many young people are already computer-savvy.

Looking back on her 46-year career at Hy-Vee, Steffl said she realized that much of her work was taking care of people, and that brought her a great deal of joy.

The best part of working at Hy-Vee was seeing long-time customers and their families.

“You make a real connection here,” she said.