Letter to the Editor

I enjoyed your “On Topic” column in May 29's Business 380 regarding “small” businesses.

I agree with you. It seems that in Iowa and some other nearby states that people are more friendly and polite. However, I do find that in too many cases “there you go” or “have a good one” has replaced “thank you.”

I spent most of my adult life (with a bit of time out for military service) in retail or retail related jobs. My first job was in a shoe store in New Castle, Ind., while I was still in high school, probably 1939.

I learned a lot from the owner, Carl. You might be fitting shoes on a customer and Carl would walk up, apologize to the customer, saying he had to leave the store and had a message for me, he would hand me a note, then thank the customer for his or her courtesy and for coming into our store.

The note would likely say “Don't forget to show her a purse” or shoe polish or shoe laces or some other related item, and always at the end was “and don't forget to say thank you.”

I sincerely enjoyed the retail business at all levels. I retired for the first time in 1992, after a short time found a part-time job, retired three times after that, always going back, finally had to hang it up for good about a year and a half ago because Mother Nature and Father Time have ganged up on me.

Nick S. Yost

via email