Recently returned 2,500 miles to visit my mother in a rural community of Northern Ohio.
To set the scene, the nearest town of any size is about 8-10 miles away, still a local phone call.
Before I arrived, had been warned her stove, an apartment size unit was not working.
Upon inspection, it was obvious the stove had seen better days and needed to be replaced.
My mother does not have a computer, it was Wolley Segap time.
This is Saturday morning.
A few phone calls determined the big box stores had no inventory, but could order it.
The way I see it, you can't sell from an empty wagon, you need inventory.
Finally found an old time white goods appliance dealer that I had almost forgot about.
Yes, they had a plain white stove.
They weren't giving it away, but their price was reasonable.
They could still deliver on Saturday afternoon for a $20 fee which included dropping the new stove in place, hooking up the gas line and getting rid of the old stove.
Talk about a deal.
During the installation, they damaged a gas line on the stove.
Back to the store for parts to make a temporary repair while they ordered a replacement part.
Repairs were completed before 5:00PM.
Part arrived and replacement made in less than 2 weeks.
Today a letter arrived thanking my mother for her business.
Had almost forgotten that some people still know how to do business the way it was done when I was a kid.
Nice touch if you ask me.
Lew