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What's Cookin'? . '
Scott's sense of humor sells wel
By REBECCA WELLS
Scott Wallace has it all.
"I've got the best of everything,"
he says. "I've got a great family.
I've got a great wife. I've got a cute
kid and the greatest dog."
Topping it all offby living in the
great town of Shelton, he says he
almost has to pinch himself some-
times. His job as a lead checker at
Top Foods in Olympia, where he's
worked for almost 17 years, is also
wonderful and not just because of
the pay.
"I'm there for the people," he
explains. "I'm one of the lucky
guys in the world. I have found my
niche in life."
WHEN SCOTT was a young
boy, his father Warren Wallace
told him he was going to be a
salesman, just like him. His father
worked in sales for Moore Busi-
ness Forms.
"If I ever turn into half the man
my dad was, I will be the luckiest
guy in the world," Scott says, call-
ing his father "the greatest sales-
man in the world."
Scott did learn salesmanship
from his father. By his freshman
year in high school, Scott began
working as a radio disc jockey for
the local AM radio station in his
hometown of Butte, Montana.
Reading commercials over the air
was part of his job.
"It was kind of strange to be
cruising down the street and all a
sudden have" a radio commercial
come on," he remembers• Though
it was fun, he could never really
get used to hearing his own vice
on the radio.
LATER, HE WAS the head
waiter at the Frederick and Nel-
son restaurant for seven years be-
fore the establishment closed and
he moved on to Top Foods. Now
he considers his check stand as a
stage where he is allowed to ham
it up for 40 hours a week.
"I've always had a public job.
I've always had to sell," he says.
"My dad was right: I'm a salesman.
He sold paper. I sold myself."
In fact, last year he attended
a work meeting where one of the
chief executive officers of the cor-
poration asked him to describe his
job.
"I gave him the standard defini-
tion of my job. I told him I don't
really have a job. Actually I'm al-
lowed to go to Top Foods for 40
hours a week to play," he recalls
with a chuckle• "I've got the best
job in the world, because I get paid
to be flirting with beautiful wom-
en, talking to nice guys, playing
with little kids." He says he'd "do
it for free, but no, they make me
take the paycheck• So yeah, I'm
the luckiest guy in the worl d . Hon-
estly, I'm blessed."
ALL OF THE employees at the
store are all like a giant family to
him. "I spend as much time with
those kids as I do at home and I
love them all," he says. "All in all,
we're the best family that I've ever
worked for."
Even before he came to Top
Foods, he was already enjoying
some of these same benefits at
Frederick and Nelson•
"It was great! It was another
one of those jobs where I had beau-
tiful older women Who would come
in and they'd give me money for
bringing food to them. If they came
over to my house for dinner, I'd
still do the same thing," he quips.
FLASHING A CHEERFUL smile behind the counter at Top
Foods, Scott Wallace has fun entertaining customers.
"So customer service is definitely
my thing•"
"And I get to be a goofball for a
living!" he adds with a laugh.
Since he is the last person cus-
tomers see at the store, his goal at
the check stand is to make sure
they walk out the door with smiles
on their faces.
"IF I CAN GET you walking
out with a smile, you'll be coming
back with a smile," he says, since
the last thing customers think of
when they leave will be the first
thing they remember when they
return.
To this end, he is now known as
the "smiley-face sticker guy" at the
store, since he gives smiley-fhce
stickers to all of the children and
even the "big kids" who are yoqng
at heart and spot his sticker col-
lection•
His customers aren't the only
ones he has fun getting a grin out
of, either. April Fools' Day hap-
pens to be his favorite holiday and
he has a ball in the role of a prank-
ster, pulling practical jokes on his
co-workers.
For instance, when he worked
in the store's bakery, he wrote
a note to the bakery manager,
stating he was going back with a
rock-and-roll band he had played
with when he was sti]l living in
Montana and they had decided to
go back on the road. Supposedly,
this was his two weeks' notice. In
small letters at the bottom of the
note, it instructed the manager to
turn the letter over and see "April
fools!" on the back.
TRUTH BE TOLD, Scott actu-
ally had been the lead singer in a
rock band. "Honestly, it was one of
the toughest jobs I've ever done,"
he says. On the scale his band was
performing at, there were no road-
ies to perform the grunt work fbr
him and his fellow musicians "so
when you set up and you break
down, yeah, that's all you," he re-
members• "So yeah: glamourous
sounding; tough job."
These days, his "groupies" are
a bunch of ladies at least 75 years
"young" who pay him faithful vis-
its every Wednesday morning from
area retirement homes. This is the
day the store changes its weekly
advertisements and the floor is
quieter than during the weekends,
making it easier for them to shop.
All of the store's electric shoppers
are all charged up and ready for
action•
"I have a harem of octogenarian
girlfriends and I love every one of
them," he jokes. "My wife doesn't
mind that I've got all these 'girl-
friends,' 'cause she's met my 'girl-
friends.'"
Scott and his wife Sandi have
been married for 21 years and
have a son, Jamie, who is a junior
at Central Washington University
in Ellensburg.
"HONESTLY, IWE got the
greatest family in the world," Scott
says proudly.
For example, he says his moth-
er, Ginny Wallace, lives in the
Lake Limerick community and
still looks young and beautiful,
after all these years. While he
was growing up, his parents ran
a standard "Ozzie and Harriet"
household.
"[ came from a weird thmily: We
were normal," he says: "My dad's
tblks were as kind as they came;
my mom's tblks were as kind as
they came and hey, I'm a great,
lucky genetic swirl! I got the best
of all of those."
He says he inherited his parents'
gregarious, fun-loving personality,
which he has found works well in
sales industries. His wife has a job
in an office, working tbr the Wash-
ington State Department of Social
and Health Services.
"IF I HAD TO work in an of-
fice for a living, I'd go crazy," Scott
says. "My office is my sales floor at
Top Foods. I got the biggest office
in the city."
Scott and his family moved to
Shelton in 1984, following his sis-
ter and brother-in-law, Robin and
Dann Gagnon, who both teach lo-
cally.
Coming from a town in Montana
known for having what used to be
the world's largest truck-operated
copper mines, Scott is thrilled to
live in Western Washington. Right
after he first moved to this state,
he made a point of waking up very
early one morning to go surfing in
a wet suit at Westport and from
there heading up to the mountains
to go skiing later that afternoon.
Then he called his friends back in
Montana, who couldn't believe he
could manage to go surfing and
skiing in the same day.
Shelton's particular location
is also ideal for him, because it's
nestled in woodsy scenery, yet not
far from major cities. "We've got
the best of both worlds," he says
happily.
"I MEAN, people complain
about the rain in the Northwest,
but it's so beautiful and it's so
green because of the rain," he
says.
When he's not at
enjoys relaxing at home,
reality television shows
ing in the summer. When
he also likes to ski.
gymnastics in high
to be an acrobatic skier
ries slowed him down.
Lately, though, his
have been having the
with him. Not long ago,
smile was featured in a
pearance on a recentl
commercial for Top
"That's been a lot of
how they punished me
(Please turn to
lllb
OPEN HOIL00E
NOW.MI;ER
Join us Fo el:esboe.Ts
eceve a coapboenza
Thus.-FRL-SaT. I I a.w.-4
W.
3 SIDED
1800 Wood Stovd
Features
• Unique ly Window Design
• Ah drawer w/safety lid
• Mobile Home Approved
. W wood
01niom
• Ultra Quiet 130 (FM 81ower
• Brushed Nickel or Gold Door, Louver & Trivet
_00tss9
. "ltpnHlq The Flanw For Every brIP'
377-6655 4090 W. St. Swy. 16 • Sremerton (At Gorst on Waters|de)
(206) 842"356 www.heritagefireplaceshop.€om
-"I just love how
Our Community
Creaqt Union
treats you
hke aperson.
They really
focus on your
neea00, not
on fees!"
- Andrea Barnes
Mason County Fairgrounds
2007 Swap Meet Schedule
9:00 a.m. - 5'00 p.m.
Friday-Sunday
Nov. 30 - Dec. 2
10' x 10' indoor booth rental $50.00
Set up Thursday
FREE PUBLIC ADMISSION
Call now to reserve your booth!
427-7789
Our00
it Un"
more than just business.
Here, it's
Shelton • Elma • McCleary
800.426.5657 • www.ourcu.coO
Anyone living or working in Mason or
Grays Harbor County can join.
Page 16 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, November 22, 2007
What's Cookin'? . '
Scott's sense of humor sells wel
By REBECCA WELLS
Scott Wallace has it all.
"I've got the best of everything,"
he says. "I've got a great family.
I've got a great wife. I've got a cute
kid and the greatest dog."
Topping it all offby living in the
great town of Shelton, he says he
almost has to pinch himself some-
times. His job as a lead checker at
Top Foods in Olympia, where he's
worked for almost 17 years, is also
wonderful and not just because of
the pay.
"I'm there for the people," he
explains. "I'm one of the lucky
guys in the world. I have found my
niche in life."
WHEN SCOTT was a young
boy, his father Warren Wallace
told him he was going to be a
salesman, just like him. His father
worked in sales for Moore Busi-
ness Forms.
"If I ever turn into half the man
my dad was, I will be the luckiest
guy in the world," Scott says, call-
ing his father "the greatest sales-
man in the world."
Scott did learn salesmanship
from his father. By his freshman
year in high school, Scott began
working as a radio disc jockey for
the local AM radio station in his
hometown of Butte, Montana.
Reading commercials over the air
was part of his job.
"It was kind of strange to be
cruising down the street and all a
sudden have" a radio commercial
come on," he remembers• Though
it was fun, he could never really
get used to hearing his own vice
on the radio.
LATER, HE WAS the head
waiter at the Frederick and Nel-
son restaurant for seven years be-
fore the establishment closed and
he moved on to Top Foods. Now
he considers his check stand as a
stage where he is allowed to ham
it up for 40 hours a week.
"I've always had a public job.
I've always had to sell," he says.
"My dad was right: I'm a salesman.
He sold paper. I sold myself."
In fact, last year he attended
a work meeting where one of the
chief executive officers of the cor-
poration asked him to describe his
job.
"I gave him the standard defini-
tion of my job. I told him I don't
really have a job. Actually I'm al-
lowed to go to Top Foods for 40
hours a week to play," he recalls
with a chuckle• "I've got the best
job in the world, because I get paid
to be flirting with beautiful wom-
en, talking to nice guys, playing
with little kids." He says he'd "do
it for free, but no, they make me
take the paycheck• So yeah, I'm
the luckiest guy in the worl d . Hon-
estly, I'm blessed."
ALL OF THE employees at the
store are all like a giant family to
him. "I spend as much time with
those kids as I do at home and I
love them all," he says. "All in all,
we're the best family that I've ever
worked for."
Even before he came to Top
Foods, he was already enjoying
some of these same benefits at
Frederick and Nelson•
"It was great! It was another
one of those jobs where I had beau-
tiful older women Who would come
in and they'd give me money for
bringing food to them. If they came
over to my house for dinner, I'd
still do the same thing," he quips.
FLASHING A CHEERFUL smile behind the counter at Top
Foods, Scott Wallace has fun entertaining customers.
"So customer service is definitely
my thing•"
"And I get to be a goofball for a
living!" he adds with a laugh.
Since he is the last person cus-
tomers see at the store, his goal at
the check stand is to make sure
they walk out the door with smiles
on their faces.
"IF I CAN GET you walking
out with a smile, you'll be coming
back with a smile," he says, since
the last thing customers think of
when they leave will be the first
thing they remember when they
return.
To this end, he is now known as
the "smiley-face sticker guy" at the
store, since he gives smiley-fhce
stickers to all of the children and
even the "big kids" who are yoqng
at heart and spot his sticker col-
lection•
His customers aren't the only
ones he has fun getting a grin out
of, either. April Fools' Day hap-
pens to be his favorite holiday and
he has a ball in the role of a prank-
ster, pulling practical jokes on his
co-workers.
For instance, when he worked
in the store's bakery, he wrote
a note to the bakery manager,
stating he was going back with a
rock-and-roll band he had played
with when he was sti]l living in
Montana and they had decided to
go back on the road. Supposedly,
this was his two weeks' notice. In
small letters at the bottom of the
note, it instructed the manager to
turn the letter over and see "April
fools!" on the back.
TRUTH BE TOLD, Scott actu-
ally had been the lead singer in a
rock band. "Honestly, it was one of
the toughest jobs I've ever done,"
he says. On the scale his band was
performing at, there were no road-
ies to perform the grunt work fbr
him and his fellow musicians "so
when you set up and you break
down, yeah, that's all you," he re-
members• "So yeah: glamourous
sounding; tough job."
These days, his "groupies" are
a bunch of ladies at least 75 years
"young" who pay him faithful vis-
its every Wednesday morning from
area retirement homes. This is the
day the store changes its weekly
advertisements and the floor is
quieter than during the weekends,
making it easier for them to shop.
All of the store's electric shoppers
are all charged up and ready for
action•
"I have a harem of octogenarian
girlfriends and I love every one of
them," he jokes. "My wife doesn't
mind that I've got all these 'girl-
friends,' 'cause she's met my 'girl-
friends.'"
Scott and his wife Sandi have
been married for 21 years and
have a son, Jamie, who is a junior
at Central Washington University
in Ellensburg.
"HONESTLY, IWE got the
greatest family in the world," Scott
says proudly.
For example, he says his moth-
er, Ginny Wallace, lives in the
Lake Limerick community and
still looks young and beautiful,
after all these years. While he
was growing up, his parents ran
a standard "Ozzie and Harriet"
household.
"[ came from a weird thmily: We
were normal," he says: "My dad's
tblks were as kind as they came;
my mom's tblks were as kind as
they came and hey, I'm a great,
lucky genetic swirl! I got the best
of all of those."
He says he inherited his parents'
gregarious, fun-loving personality,
which he has found works well in
sales industries. His wife has a job
in an office, working tbr the Wash-
ington State Department of Social
and Health Services.
"IF I HAD TO work in an of-
fice for a living, I'd go crazy," Scott
says. "My office is my sales floor at
Top Foods. I got the biggest office
in the city."
Scott and his family moved to
Shelton in 1984, following his sis-
ter and brother-in-law, Robin and
Dann Gagnon, who both teach lo-
cally.
Coming from a town in Montana
known for having what used to be
the world's largest truck-operated
copper mines, Scott is thrilled to
live in Western Washington. Right
after he first moved to this state,
he made a point of waking up very
early one morning to go surfing in
a wet suit at Westport and from
there heading up to the mountains
to go skiing later that afternoon.
Then he called his friends back in
Montana, who couldn't believe he
could manage to go surfing and
skiing in the same day.
Shelton's particular location
is also ideal for him, because it's
nestled in woodsy scenery, yet not
far from major cities. "We've got
the best of both worlds," he says
happily.
"I MEAN, people complain
about the rain in the Northwest,
but it's so beautiful and it's so
green because of the rain," he
says.
When he's not at
enjoys relaxing at home,
reality television shows
ing in the summer. When
he also likes to ski.
gymnastics in high
to be an acrobatic skier
ries slowed him down.
Lately, though, his
have been having the
with him. Not long ago,
smile was featured in a
pearance on a recentl
commercial for Top
"That's been a lot of
how they punished me
(Please turn to
lllb
OPEN HOIL00E
NOW.MI;ER
Join us Fo el:esboe.Ts
eceve a coapboenza
Thus.-FRL-SaT. I I a.w.-4
W.
3 SIDED
1800 Wood Stovd
Features
• Unique ly Window Design
• Ah drawer w/safety lid
• Mobile Home Approved
. W wood
01niom
• Ultra Quiet 130 (FM 81ower
• Brushed Nickel or Gold Door, Louver & Trivet
_00tss9
. "ltpnHlq The Flanw For Every brIP'
377-6655 4090 W. St. Swy. 16 • Sremerton (At Gorst on Waters|de)
(206) 842"356 www.heritagefireplaceshop.€om
-"I just love how
Our Community
Creaqt Union
treats you
hke aperson.
They really
focus on your
neea00, not
on fees!"
- Andrea Barnes
Mason County Fairgrounds
2007 Swap Meet Schedule
9:00 a.m. - 5'00 p.m.
Friday-Sunday
Nov. 30 - Dec. 2
10' x 10' indoor booth rental $50.00
Set up Thursday
FREE PUBLIC ADMISSION
Call now to reserve your booth!
427-7789
Our00
it Un"
more than just business.
Here, it's
Shelton • Elma • McCleary
800.426.5657 • www.ourcu.coO
Anyone living or working in Mason or
Grays Harbor County can join.
Page 16 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, November 22, 2007