Recently while walking for exercise at The Natchez Mall, memories of my days at JCPenney cheered me on as I made each round. I scrubbed the toilets, emptied trash, cleaned windows, mopped and vacuumed and had various other duties during my two years as a janitor there. I had previously worked for 17 years in the office at Natchez Equipment Company Inc. until it closed.

Today, the building is empty. No customers are shopping for whatever brought them to JCPenney for decades.

Back then I often found myself in unexpected situations and was thankful that my services were needed. The women, both customers and employees, especially liked how I cleaned the restrooms.

“When he comes out, it is clean and fit to use,” I’d often hear them say.

One of the managers often ran me out before I finished by warning, “If you don’t come out so I can use it, you’re going to have more than just mop water on the floor.” Being run out gave me a short break! The creative sign I hung on the door worked well and simply stated, “Mr. Housekeeper at work. Please wait or kindly yell. Thanks!”

I was allowed to stop work to help make a sale, and doing this often made my day! Making a sale was a success story, and associates were asked the next morning for any interesting success stories.

“Are the clothes on that mannequin for sale?” I’d go ask and get the right person.

“Is that penguin on the bed in the Home department for sale, or is it to decorate the store?” I helped sell that penguin.

“Sir, would you be so kind as to tell me which of these dresses I would look best in at a business conference? I’ll buy the one you pick.”

“Can you tell me where to find dusters? I need size 3XL.”

“Do you sell underwear?”

A ladies’ clearance rack caused me to shut down the vacuum once. Four women were pulling and twisting on a red dress. I told them if they ripped it to pieces, no one would be happy, and they’d each be just as pretty in any of the dresses on the clearance rack. That satisfied them and prevented a disaster.

Men often wanted my opinion, also. “Sir, which tie goes better with this suit?” “Does this watch make me look younger?”

Some days at JCPenney were more scenic than others. Food and drink were allowed in the store and mopping could take a while. I was paged to the men’s department during a huge sale. This was not the usual visit to gather clothes hangers, deliver shopping bags, clean up a melted scoop of ice cream covered with ants or mop up vomit from someone who had eaten too much popcorn. Someone had chucked a loaded diaper under one of the benches in a dressing room and the smell was getting more breathtaking by the minute!

After JCPenney, I drove a school bus for five years until I graduated from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in May of 2006. Three years later, I received my degree from Mississippi Valley State University.

Teaching is not easy, but it has its rewards! Seeing faces light up and hearing an unexpected “thank you” make teaching worth it!

As I walk for my health and see the vacant JCPenney store, I reminisce, glad I went back to college to become a teacher. This will be my seventh year teaching.

 

Benny Campbell is a math teacher and a Natchez resident.