'End Of An Era': Morris Walmart Associate's Farewell Goes Viral
MORRIS, IL — A longtime local Walmart employee who refers to her co-workers at the retail giant’s Morris location as family unexpectedly had her farewell video go viral recently, reaching a worldwide audience.
Gail Lewis posted the video of herself signing out from her job for the final time on TikTok in a post that has been viewed more than 20 million times as of Monday. The video shows Lewis dressed in a florescent yellow vest on a walkie-talkie, announcing her departure from the job she had held for the past 10 years.
According to the store’s manager, Lewis was an overnight maintenance associate who was willing to help with anything. Lewis loved announcing “Game On” over the store’s sound system when the store opened for the day, which made her final announcement over the store’s sound system emotional for the decade-long employee.
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“Attention Walmart, this is Gail Lewis, 10-year associate, Morris, Illinois 844 signing out,” Lewis says in the video. “Goodnight.”
Lewis’ video continues from her car, where she posted a poignant video calling her departure from the store to take a new job as the end of an era.
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Holding back tears, Lewis calls the departure a “happy sad” one, because she is going to a better job.
“Those people have become like family,” Lewis says in the video. “They watched my back, I watched theirs. They helped me out, I helped them out. We even went through a (expletive) pandemic together. It just hurts, but it’s a happy sad because where I’m going, I’m going to be better off where I’m at, that’s all.”
Contacted on Facebook on Monday, Lewis said that her decision to leave Walmart “was a sad decision, but I got no choice,” Lewis wrote in a message when contacted by Patch.
Asked about the viral nature of the video, which was posted on Nov. 16, and which has received more than 134,000 likes on TikTok, Lewis wrote, “Just wow.”
Lewis told NBC Chicago that she has already started her new job but declined to specify where she is working due to the popularity that has come her way since she posted the video on social media. Through a Walmart corporate spokesperson, Carrie Moses, the manager of the Morris Walmart thanked Lewis for her time with the company.
“I am grateful to Gail for her service at our store,” Moses said in a statement provided to Patch by Walmart on Monday. “She will be greatly missed! I wish her all the best on her future opportunities.”
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According to a Facebook post, Lewis has joined Chasing Better 247 as a personal trainer. The post said that Lewis joined the company after working as a Walmart associate for more than 10 years in Morris and is “now ready to help you crush your fitness goals.” Company officials did not immediately respond to a message from Patch seeking comment.
Lewis told Patch on Monday that she did not plan to post her final farewell online, but said she was surprised she became so emotional when recording the message she did in her car.
“Thank you for all of your love and support,” Lewis told Patch in a Facebook message on Monday. “I really appreciate everyone.”
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