Rodney Ritz, the man behind the carts, sure to brighten your day

MINOT, N.D. ( KXNET )— Rodney Ritz, cart commissioner, “I’m the cart Commissioner.”

A title Rodney Ritz has proudly held for nearly 29 years.

“Doing carts and just enjoying the day and saying hi to people and stuff, it’s really a lot of fun,” Rodney, Rodney Ritz, cart commissioner, Marketplace Foods, said.

Corralling carts and getting them ready for customers to hit the aisles is just one of Rodney’s duties as cart commissioner.
He also helps his co-workers by breaking down carboard boxes and taking them to the trash compactor.

(NATS trash compactor)

“It’s a full day’s job, you know. Some days, yeah, especially when they get a lot of people in here and this in this place is almost empty, and it’s like, ‘Oh, I gotta get caught up again,'” Rodney exclaimed.

(NATS moving carts)

“Sometimes when I’m getting caught up, I’m getting behind as I’m getting caught up,” Rodney laughed.

His boss Anissa Otto, went to school with Rodney.
She’s says he’s like the Energizer Bunny getting the work done, but that’s not all he’s known for.

Anissa Otto, store director

“More than that, he takes care of our customers” Anissa Otto, store director, Marketplace Foods, shared. “A lot of them come here to see Rodney.”

A trait he is very proud of.

“Oh yeah, very popular,” Rodney confirmed. “And they all love me, and they’ll say hi to me and stuff, and I keep telling them to have a good day and and I hope they still have a good day after they leave, you know. If I smile, it’s gonna make it’s gonna make their day much better, too.”

“You can’t really come here see Rodney and not leave in a better mood than you came in,” Anissa said.

Rodney brings that sunshine to Anissa as soon as he starts his shift by bringing her the mail.

“He never comes to work without coming just to see me first,” Anissa explained. “I say are you clocked in? ‘Yep, I’m already clocked in, Chief. I’m just coming to see you.’ So yeah, he brightens my day.”

From there, Rodney is pounding the pavement, no matter what Mother Nature has in store.

“Sunny, rainy, windy, snowy, it doesn’t matter, he’s out there,” Anissa acknowledged. “Sometimes in the winter, we have to tell him to come in and take a break a little more often and warm up, because, yeah, he might turn into a mini popsicle out there.”

“I enjoy it out there too, so it’s kind of fun year round,” Rodney said.

(NATS with customer)

“If everyone saw the world through Rodney’s eyes, there’d never be a bad day,” Anissa shared. “If you’re having a bad day, stop by meet Rodney. You’ll leave with a much better attitude.”

Have a great day Alysia,” Rodney exclaimed.

Rodney Ritz, someone who will always brighten your day, is Someone You Should Know.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KX NEWS.