1549 days ago

80-year-old retail veteran yet to face a dull day after 64 years in the industry

Jake Kenny Reporter from Community News

Happy Tuesday neighbours,

When 80-year-old Barry Souter landed his first job in a clothing store 64 years ago, the retail industry looked a lot different.

Customers were not able to browse the shelves but had to ask for clothes to be brought out from behind the counter. When a sale was made, Souter had to handwrite the sale docket. And stock-taking was very much a manual task.

But through all the changes, Souter has never stopped having fun. “It’s the people that make it. Human interaction is what keeps us all going.”

Souter’s first job was at Hallensteins in Dunedin when he was 16, and he worked for Munns in Christchurch for a long time before opening his own business in Bishopdale nearly a decade ago.

Click 'Read more' below for the full story.

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More messages from your neighbours
2 days ago

Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’

If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.

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3 days ago

Poll: Are Kiwis allergic to “exuberance”? 🥝

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In The Post’s opinion piece on the developments set to open across Aotearoa in 2026, John Coop suggests that, as a nation, we’re “allergic to exuberance.”

We want to know: Are we really allergic to showing our excitement?

Is it time to lean into a more optimistic view of the place we call home? As big projects take shape and new opportunities emerge, perhaps it’s worth asking whether a little more confidence (and enthusiasm!) could do us some good.

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Are Kiwis allergic to “exuberance”? 🥝
  • 41.5% Yes
    41.5% Complete
  • 33.6% Maybe?
    33.6% Complete
  • 24.9% No
    24.9% Complete
586 votes
G
8 hours ago

Book Cellar Christmas Opening hours

Gail from Cashmere

Merry Christmas from The Book Cellar!
The summer break is the perfect time to relax with a book or two (or three or four…). And, of course, books make excellent gifts. There is still time to come in and find the perfect read for you or someone else.
We are open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week as usual, then our Christmas hours are:
Monday 22nd December, 10am – 3pm
Wednesday 24th December, 10am – 12noon
Friday 26th December (Boxing Day), 10am – 1pm (last day for the year).

We will reopen with our usual hours on Thursday 8th January 2026

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