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Craig Goodwin has been working for the same company in Naperville for 19 years. This is his home away from home.
"I am one of the few people to love my job," said Goodwin.
But the days of Naperville residents with Walmart can be numbered.
Goodwin, 39, started as a receptionist at the store located on Route 59 in Naperville while a student at Naperville North High School.
When Walmart moved to a larger location on 75th Street, Goodwin moved with them, bringing with its astonishing ability to remember customers and their names.
Unless Walmart can find another role in the store, Goodwin may not be hired on April 26 because the company is gradually eliminating greeters in favor of what it calls hosted hosts.
Changing to another job might be difficult because Goodwin has cerebral palsy and does not have the ability to lift or carry boxes.
Goodwin is not alone. Disabled Greeters in the United States are calling on Walmart for reconsideration.
The idea of role change began four years ago when Walmart launched a pilot program in which hosts greeted not only customers but also checked receipts, facilitated returns, and helped keep receipts clean and secure. safe.
Walmart officials said in a May 2016 blog that the pilot project had been so successful that the company was planning to implement changes in its stores in the United States.
Sharon, Craig Goodwin's mother, said his son was offered a fitting room attendant position, but he would never be able to meet certain requirements – such as raising more than 10 pounds and climb on a ladder – without adaptation.
"Craig lives and breathes Walmart," she said. "He has always been a human person. … People connect with him. "
His parents tried to help their son get answers. "Until now, it was frustrating to deal with the store manager," said Bill Goodwin, Craig's father.
Bill Goodwin said he tried to appeal to the district director, the human resources department and even the president of Walmart's US market.
Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said in an email that the company had attempted to accommodate the disabled employees.
"While we strive to constantly improve the experience of our customers, we will need to adjust roles from time to time," Lundberg said.
The company shared its plans to change the responsibilities of the home-buying role in some stores and this involves disabled associates, he said.
"We recognize that our physically disabled associates face a unique situation," Lundberg said via e-mail. "Keeping this in mind, we will extend the current 60-day welcome transition period for disabled associates while exploring the circumstances and possible adaptations, for each individual, that can be made in each store. This allows associates to continue working at the store as team members, while seeking a customized solution that is acceptable to everyone involved. "
Goodwin was a model employee, literally; a photo of him was incorporated into the advertisement on the side of a Walmart semi-trailer.
Sharon Goodwin shared his son's fate on Facebook and received hundreds of comments from Walmart customers who recognized Craig and were disappointed to let him go.
Among them is client Janet McManus, born of Aurora.
Born said that she was looking for Craig Goodwin on his travels to Walmart. "We are always looking for him. It is generally down on products, "she said.
When he is not in his usual place, she said she would go to the other entrance to see if he was there.
Born said that she was eager to see the smiling face of Craig Goodwin. "He's like a family since he's interested in people," she wrote on Facebook.
Two years ago, Born recounted that she had spoken to Craig Goodwin about a secret vacation to Disney that she had planned for her granddaughter. Every week he asked if both had finished the trip.
When she finally had stories to tell, Born said that she had brought her granddaughter and that he had asked a lot of questions. "He remembers everything," she said.
Born said to have a friendly face that knows her makes her want to shop at Walmart. If Craig Goodwin is gone, there is no reason to go shopping there, she says.
Sharon Goodwin said that some of the relationships that her son has established over the years have been transferred beyond the store.
He became friends with a centenary woman who sat next to him while his daughter was shopping and the two pursued conversations between people. The 102-year-old woman is now eagerly awaiting Craig's visit to her home in the Naperville Senior Care Center, Sharon Goodwin said.
Craig Goodwin said he was humiliated by the response on Facebook. "I am so honored that people feel this for me," he said.
He added that if he lost his job, he would try to find another way to make up for 32 to 40 hours of work per week in order to stay independent and not need government assistance.
"I do not need anyone to have pity on me," he added.
What he misses most is the customers. "I will always take care of them and they will always be in my heart," said Goodwin.
Twitter @SbakerSun
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