SHELBY COUNTY, Ky. — A longtime Walmart employee is making quite the impression on everyone he meets. It's proof a smile can go a long way.
If you've ever visited the store in Shelbyville, chances are you've noticed Luke Morris. He walks the parking lot 8 hours a day, 5 days a week collecting Walmart shopping carts.
"He comes in every day with a smile on his face," Theresa Phillips, a Walmart coach, said.
"It's not hard," Luke said. "You just gotta keep up with it."
It's the only job he's ever known.
"I was in school when I got started. I was 16," Luke said.
Thirty years later, and he's still on the job.
"Everybody knows Luke. They say, hey Luke! How you doing?" Phillips said.
When he's not pushing carts, he's helping customers load their car, sharing his love of firefighters and the WHAS Crusade for Children or talking about his church.
"He just brings a lot of joy to the building," Bridgette Bowling, the store manager, said. "Whenever you see him, you can't help but smile yourself. The first day I walked in, he came up and said 'Hi' to me. I said, 'What's your name?' He said, 'My name is Luke.' He said, 'I'm a cart pusher,' and I said, 'It's really nice to meet you.' And he just smiled and said, 'Nice to meet you too. I'm going to go push carts now.'"
It's that smile and demeaner that got locals talking on a Shelby County Facebook group. A photo of Luke, posted back in October, shows him standing with his carts. It received more than a thousand reactions from customers praising him.
The post reads:
"Always bringing smiles to everyone he comes in contact with. For many of us when we were in high school Wal-Mart was a job we had. I can't even imagine how many people Luke has seen come through the doors at Wal-Mart. It's been 18 years for me and Luke still remembers me and we always catch up whenever I see him there. He usually always loves to talk about the Crusade For Children. #BeLikeLuke"
Luke never slows down, bringing the sunshine on the cloudiest of days. Few can compete with his work ethic.
"I don't think he's called in one time since I've been here, even in the snow and ice," Bowling said. "It was -30 degree windchill outside and I had to make him come inside and get warm. He was out there, all his gear on, smiling the whole time. Most people would be complaining, but not Luke."
"He's special to all of us," Phillips said. "We all look out for him. He's part of the Walmart family."
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Contact reporter Brooke Hasch at bhasch@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Hasch) and Facebook.