JORGE Zapatero has been trekking the aisles of Coles for some time.
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Some might even say a long time - 43 years and counting, but he's not thinking about retiring yet.
Mr Zapatero helped open the Port Macquarie store and has been the deputy manager for the last 12 months.
Last month he was thanked for his contribution to the team at a luncheon which recognised long-serving team members.
He said the best part about being involved with a team such as the one at Coles was the team environment.
"The team at Coles Port Macquarie is fantastic," he said. "You really feel involved and the best thing is that we are all constantly learning from each other, which provides a great deal of job satisfaction."
He said he had been lucky enough to have numerous job roles which helped to keep things fresh and new.
"These have provided many career highlights. This includes being able to implement a lot of exciting changes over the years, including helping to introduce new large product lines like Mix clothing and the health, beauty and baby aisles."
He started his first after school job at Coles at just 17 years of age at the King Street variety store in Sydney.
After a few years of full-time work he became the assistant manager at the Gosford, Penrith and Bankstown stores and then went back to the Kings Street store when he started his career as the merchandise manager.
He has been all over New South Wales and was previously the manager at the Maroubra, North Rocks store, the co-manager of the Toukley store and finally the variety manager at the Burwood store.
"The different job roles I've been involved in across the business have always given me new and exciting challenges along the way. Each has provided me with a fresh outlook and has made me want to continue my career at Coles," he said.