Checking out with Saint: The cashier who’s Racine’s real treasure
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- At the Kortendick Ace Hardware in Racine, you can find grills, fishing rods, plumbing supplies, even a boutique of gifts and décor. But the store’s most popular feature isn’t on the shelves.
It’s at the checkout counter.
Her name is Saint Hester — but around here, people just call her Saint.
Josh Sopczak says he shops at Kortendick for rentals, fishing supplies, and nonprofit projects.
“I shop here often both for personal, products, my rentals and also for some of the nonprofits I serve with. Ace in general and this particular one it's my go to place for tinkering. I buy a lot of fishing gear here it's probably the best fishing retail in the area. They have just about anything you could want to tinker. When you come in, the staff know their store so well. They know their product and the experience is really good each time which is partially how this came about was my post about Saint and just the experience at the counter every day.”
He remembers the first time she checked him out.
“It happened that I had her cash me out a couple years ago and then as you come in next time you remember oh yeah that was great. Again, you walk out the door feeling really good almost healed by the way that you're treated. And a couple months ago, I came in to make a transaction probably for fishing gear again, but I was running out the door and I stopped, and it was probably the fifth or sixth time I that that had happened where I thought Gosh... that feels good. And I stopped and ran back in and asked her Can I take a selfie with you? Because the experience you feel so wholesome it's so natural and it's just the way she conveys herself you can tell its authentic. And so, we snapped the photo, and I had to throw it on Facebook and that's kind of where it came from.”
The response was immediate.
“A lot of people apparently, I am not the only one who has the same feelings. Because as soon as I posted it there were people tagging each other and saying oh my gosh look its your favorite cashier. It's the same feeling you can tell its natural it's just who she is. If you've worked retail yes there is customer service and being friendly and cordial, but this is truly authentic it's a person just being who she is. I think I joked earlier it's better than aspirin with a headache just having that time with her. It's personal and its real and makes you want to be here. It's just great, it’s a good, I hate to say it’s a good interaction but its beyond that... it is wholesome. I've had a great experience with everyone up there but it's certainly special when you get Saint. This is what a community store, a community family run organization with local community, this is what it feels like this is home, this is Racine.”
Saint herself says the job is about more than scanning items.
“My name is Saint Hester. I am a cashier here at Kortendick Ace Hardware. I like it because it’s a beautiful job okay. I've been a receptionist secretary for over 30 years alright. Coming here is a joy, okay. It's my theatre alright. My people okay, and its beautiful. We have our ups and downs you know but we have our products, our customers and we have each other. And that's the most important thing. Here in our little community in our little store it's awesome. It really is. Coming here each day makes me feel good. It gives me a purpose, and I love it just the two thumbs up people.”
She calls every shift a chance to spread energy.
Saint Hester giving two thumbs up alongside CBS 58 Morning Anchor Alex Corradetti
“You look at that person and you feel them out a little bit sometimes people are down and out and sometimes they have a lot on their mind. So, when they come up to you put a smile on your face and try to give them a little oomph power. Okay especially when they see what they've bought and how much they paid. You want them to go out feeling good knowing they paid a good amount for a quality product, and they will come back again.”
For Saint, it all comes down to human connection.
“I think that's nice I love them and I am glad they love me. I think its nice I mean what can I say okay you guys have to understand something okay. This comes natural for everyone and the only thing we have to do is to bring it out of each other, so we all have this gift just bring it out. We're human beings, we should love each other we should embrace each other. This is our world this is our earth this is our planet. There is no other. If we don’t accept each other and love each other and make each other stronger in a positive way it’s a beautiful thing okay, yes its going to take years for people to get stronger and more positive with each other and embrace it. That's all I am asking people to do just embrace life, embrace love embrace this big beautiful planet of ours okay awesome! Have that energy in you each and every day.”
Her mornings set the tone.
“My secret is this. I get up every morning at 5 am that's been for over 30 years now. I have two cups of coffee, a beautiful breakfast whichever I fix. Sometimes hamburgers, steak, I have my eggs and bacon too. It all depends on what I like. After my breakfast we do the dishes, we look at ourselves in the mirror and say is that really you in the mirror let's get dressed and have fun and that's what I do.”
Pam Kortendick, Vice President of the store, says Saint’s following is no surprise.
“I think we have a great team of employees here and one employee that I think really draws a lot of attention is our cashier saint. So, she's a pretty special lady. She genuinely cares about each person, that comes in contact with. Whether it is an associate whether it’s a customer whether it’s a vendor, she just really treats everyone with respect and tries to share a smile with them.”
“I have a friend of mine, and he says he will stand in line and let other people go in front of him just so he can have Saint take care of him, that's pretty cool. If I'm just out and about in Racine I have people come up to me and let me know that they met Saint and we think she's amazing and we really love her. It’s a thing she's got a following in Racine.”
Pam says Saint represents what Ace is all about.
“What Saint has taught me that as we go throughout our day whether it’s the mundane or something special, we have so many opportunities where we interact with other people and in those moments, you can bring a smile to someone else's face and its not hard to do. So in all those opportunities that we have that we can share with someone else I think its important to note that you can make a difference for someone in very small ways.”
Saint laughs at the attention.
“A name is just a name; it’s the person inside that name that helps. I'm just an ordinary southern old hen from Mississippi came up here from the north got a little education got a job and everything raised the kids sent them off to college. Boom they're gone now its me myself and I. Ahh awesome!”
Ordinary or not, customers and coworkers say she’s extraordinary. At Kortendick Ace, one cashier has built something rare — one smile, one checkout line, one “cool beans” at a time.