Know Your Neighbor: Russell to depart Super Save after long run as manager

Patrons of Super Save grocery store have become very accustomed to the familiar face of its manager, Rusty Russell. However, the familiarity will start to fade Jan. 27 when store ownership changes to Lowe's Market of Littlefield, Texas.

“I've been the store manager since we opened in 1999. I actually moved here before the store opened because much remodeling and planning were required. The location was formerly Furr's, then Piggly Wiggly and finally Ramona's, a bar and dance hall. We had to change the partitions and the flooring to make the transfer back to a grocery store work properly,” Russell said.

Background

Russell grew up in Cimarrón, where he attended local schools from elementary to high school. In 1970, Russell's parents, Emery and Barbara, opened their first grocery store in Cimarrón. Rusty was 10 years old. “I just piddled around. I wasn't much of a worker then. As I grew older, I became more involved,” he said.

Prior to his work in Taos, Russell opened several stores and worked in various capacities. His two brothers opened a Las Vegas, New Mexico, store in 1982, where Russell worked. When another Super Save opened in Las Vegas, Russell worked there from 1984 to 1986. For three years, he worked at the Ratón and Trinidad Super Save locations. 

In 1997, he and his family moved to Taos with the objective to open a store and operate it as the store manager. Throughout the years, Russell's wife, Veronica; his son, Dustin; and his daughter-in-law, Amber also worked at Taos' Super Save.

Russell devoted much of his time to his job during his years as the manager of the Taos store. From Monday through Friday, his work day began at 7:30 a.m. and ended at 9:30 p.m. On Saturdays, he entered the store a bit later, ending his work day around midnight. Russell said he doesn't work on Sunday. He uses the time to sleep late “to make up for the sleep lost during the week.” On occasion, he cleans the garage or the yard on his free day.

Favorites

Responsibilities at the store never allowed free time for the manager to read, watch movies or pursue a hobby. However, his schedule allows time for eating his favorite food — hamburgers. “I could eat hamburgers every day,” said Russell. He prefers his burgers with cheese and vegetables. In the grocery store business, an employee purchases a hamburger from a nearby business and gulps down the food in order to return to work quickly. “At least that's what it seems,” Russell said. “After leaving the store, I'll be able to eat my favorite food at a slower pace.”

Future plans

The long hours at the store did not allow Russell to pursue his love of fishing. He said the extra time gained after he leaves Super Save will permit him to finally fish in the Taos area, something he hasn't done so far. 

“I want to finish things at home that I couldn't do for at least 15 years. I want to do the work myself, and in some cases, it might require a bit of learning something new,” he said. His wife shares the same goal, only her description of the time frame for not completing some home projects is “forever.”

Russell also hopes to attend his family's annual reunions. It begins each year at 7 p.m. and ends the following day at 6 p.m. Due to a hectic work schedule, Russell and his immediate family can't always attend. Now, they'll be able to attend the events and spend time with relatives from New Mexico, South Dakota and Montana.

Russell does not rule out the possibility of returning to work in the future. However, he prefers a less demanding pace and work in which he may rely on himself.

Super Save memories

When asked about his favorite career memory, Russell said, “Working hard and seeing that what you do succeeds. The fruits of my labor please me — exciting experiences such as more customers.”

His greatest challenge was keeping and organizing employees. One individual manager remains responsible for the entire staff. Changing technology also proves a difficult task. “For one person, it's pretty hard,” he said. He found Taos and Española as the best stores in which he worked and enjoyed.

Parting thoughts

Russell says Taos is a good community. For this reason, he and his wife will remain here after the store closes and changes ownership.

He finds the community unique in its approach to helping others. Through the store, he was a part of such assistance. 

Russell cited Taos Feeds Taos as an example of excellent community involvement. The manager enjoyed assisting Taos youth to prepare for the future. To that end, his contributions to the 4-H program remain important. “The participation teaches responsibility. Many of the participants care for their animals. This goes a long way,” he said. His involvement in booster clubs and church group projects through food pantries — one of many outreach efforts — form the pool of what Russell views as helpful activities.

“I'd like to thank all our customers and employees for the past 19 years. We had very good, nice customers and loyal employees. Some of the employees have been here as long as I have,” Russell said.

When asked about long-standing employees, Russell lists Gary Cook, James and Shannon Young, Dan McElroy and Marlene Lujan as some of the longest-running associates. For 27 years, Ken Wilkie assisted Russell with extra events, such as car shows and store décor (Halloween tombstones, Christmas, etc.). Some young people in the area list Super Save as their first job. A portion of them left employment to pursue a college education. Russell delights in visits from these students when they return home for a school break. He also enjoys the many "thank you" cards and letters from community members for help they received through his local projects.

As Russell and his family prepare for a new chapter in their lives, the patriarch stated that he will miss the many people with whom he's come in contact. However, he'll see them as a community member.