"I feel sad but good. I'm going to miss all my friends," Wendy said. "I'm going to miss a lot of customers too."

The job has seen Wendy through two children, five grandchildren and one on the way. She still remembers her first day as a fresh faced 16-year-old.

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"I was on the checkouts," she said. It was the Warialda girl's first (and only) job. She said people these days don't have the same appreciation for a good job as she had.

"You've got to stick to it," she said.

The familiar store has changed dramatically over the years, with Wendy spending over 10 years working in the now non-existent apparel section. Coles was almost a department store in those days, with manchester, gardening, footwear and groceries all for sale.

"I've seen a lot of changes in this shop," Wendy said.

"When I first started, you used to walk in the front door and it had a smoke kiosk there with cages and they used to lock the smokes up."

She said switching to self serve checkouts was the biggest change she'd witnessed.

She's watched generations of customers grow up, seen employees come and go and enjoys being recognised on the street by regulars.

"When you make friends at Coles, you make friends for life, I think."

Joining her husband Alan in retirement, Wendy is looking forward to relaxing and taking trips together.