Cheryl Mathisen farewells Bega Big W

And after more than 11 years at the store, and 50 years in retail all up, she's decided it's time to retire.

Bega locals would know Cheryl as the smiling face at the front of the store or on the check-out on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday's, always up for a chin-wag.

"You get your regulars that come in all the time and you have a natter. I love it," Cheryl said.

"It's just nice to be out and talking to people."

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Heading into retirement, Cheryl said she planned to head north with her husband, taking their caravan to see some more of Australia.

Cheryl moved to Bega after working for 30 years at Kmart in Melbourne, after starting her career in retail at 16 years old.

The Bega Big W staff made sure to organise a special send-off morning tea for Cheryl, and said while they were sad to see her go, they joked that maybe they'd get some work done now.

"Normally a 15-minute morning tea takes her about an hour," Cheryl's supervisor joked.

Cheryl made sure to say she wasn't going anywhere permanently, and would still be around town.

For now though, she said she was looking forward to a celebratory drink.

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