THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
Sonia Trudeau was born and raised in Fort Smith, and has lived there most of her life.

Sonia Trudeau is the new manager of the Fields store in Fort Smith. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

And now, she says many people in the community are surprised to see her in a whole new role - as manager of the Fields store.

"Some people are very happy that I've got the job because most of them have been here most of their lives,as well, and it's somebody from the community that has landed the position," she said.

Trudeau started her new job on Oct. 3.

The 50-year-old said she had been looking for a fulltime job.

Previously, she had worked mostly in childcare from the time she was very young - for a total of about 25 years.

"I really, really enjoyed that, and I kind of miss it. I miss working with the kids and their little quirks and their hugs and their laughter," she said.

However, Trudeau said she "desperately" needed fulltime employment.

"I needed a full-time job to survive up here," she explained. "My husband does well and, bless his heart, he put up with me trying to get whatever job I could get and whatever few hours I took. I mean with the bills going up, food going up, gas going up, it was hard."

In fact, she candidly admitted there were even times when she purposely wouldn't eat to save money, although she never told her family.

"I'd tell them I ate, but just so we could get by," she said, adding she always made sure that her children didn't go without. "I always made sure they came first."

Trudeau has three daughters, including a 13-year-old who is still living at home.

She has had full-time jobs in the past, but also a lot of part-time jobs.

Those included working at the Hudson's Bay Store when she was a teenager and young adult. From there, she also did casual office jobs for government and elsewhere.

Trudeau was happy to get the job at Fields.

"I was very nervous at first because I hadn't worked in retail for quite some time," she said. "A manager's position is something I've always looked at."

However, she noted she had no training in retail management, but the training at Fields is done online and with the help of staff and managers from elsewhere, including the Fields store in Hay River.

"Actually, as I always say, staff is training me, which is kind of sad, but yet it's kind of good," she said.

Her job involves such things as time scheduling, overseeing the display of products, and managing the staff, which consists of six workers including herself.

Trudeau noted she has already received compliments from customers on how the store has improved since she has begun to manage it, including the fact it has become better organized and items are easier to find.

"I got it straightened out. It was a big thing and I thought it would take a lot longer, but it didn't," she explained, noting she was hired at the busiest time of year in the retail sector - Christmas shopping season.

While she is the store manager, Trudeau is not the kind of person to bark orders to other members of the staff.

"I'm a part of them. I'm not going to be sitting back here," she said of her office space in the back of the store. "I hate sitting back here as much as I have to when I do. I'd rather be out there on the floor working with them because I want to be beside them doing the exact same thing."

Trudeau noted she was looking for a job that was another adventure in her life and something that's was always go, go, go, and she found that at Fields.

"I'm not the type of person to sit still," she said. "I can't."

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