Hardware stores are not the places you’d expect to get emotional in?
But today was a cracker! As professional as I try to be, I confess to juicing up when one of our suppliers came in armed with four huge boxes filled with their new selling range of products that he was gifting us to sell as this months special.
His reasoning! Well, he said, if we go out of business (not that we’re planning on doing that), it’s a step in the same direction for his company, so he wanted to give really tangible support, and he sure did.
But that’s not all. Our other supplier for this month’s special also gifted us a load of paint. Wouldn’t you become a bit weepy over that too? Well, it did for me. This is the difference between corporate and family owned businesses. People matter. Feelings really matter. Customers and ours.
I’ve been a registered nurse for many years. I’ve worked in some pretty stressful situations. Try managing a perinatal mental health unit as well as a unit specifically for people with personality disorders, but it pales in comparison to the roller coaster ride of re-establishing our hardware business here in Surry Hills.
The highs are in the stratosphere. The lows aren’t worth talking about.
Just a week ago, one of customers came in with a huge basket full of goodies for us for some small service we’d given. This basket was huge. It was filled with comfort food. Y’know, like Tim Tams, shortbread, Arnotts assorted biscuits, tea, coffee, drinking chocolate and those lovely café style cream wafers. All very yum! A salute to kindness wouldn’t you say?
It’s easy to become disenchanted with the way things work in our everyday lives. We are bombarded with distressing news graphically on TV and phone apps. Years ago, anyone could tell you that life was slower; society generally more easy going and law abiding. Remember the days when school children gave up their seats for an adult on public transport? Hey! It’s still there. Good people abound. People still give up their seats on public transport, not as many perhaps, but they still do. The spirit of goodwill dances around us. I believe we just have to keep in step ourselves and cherish the music of life.
- Kerry
