Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Pull the pins, and now we are REALLY open!

I WAS FEELING pretty good about myself this morning. I dropped Sheryl off at school (two more days of subbing, and then she's ready for a break). I took the dogs for a long walk. I drove alllllll the way across town and got the oil changed in the car. I went to the bank. I parked the car at Fifth and Maine about 9:30, and an older couple was standing in front of the door.

They were about to walk away when I came up and said hello and told them we were getting ready to open. "There's no sign with your hours," the woman said. Uh, yes there is, a large one in the south window, but the customer is always right so I stayed above the fray.

They were looking for an amp for their grandson. They poked around a while, and I turned on lights, booted stuff up and answered their questions. They were actually quite nice and I'm glad they stopped in, though they left with the dreaded "We might be back later."

So I'm puttering around in the back and trying to avoid an obnoxious Fast Eddie when the phone rings. "You guys going to be open at 10?" the man said. I looked at my watch. It was a few minutes after 10. I said, "Yes. We are open right now, actually." The man said, "Well, I'm standing outside your doors and they are still locked."

GUH.

Turns out I forgot to pull the locking pins on the doors. The customer was very understanding and laughed. He bought some strings and we had a nice visit. Now we are really open for bidness at Fifth and Maine.

No matter how well you think you are doing, no matter how hard you try, there's always something. Right?

Not long ago Sheryl and I actually forgot to pull the pins when we left for the night, and we set the alarm. The next morning, an unfortunate soul entered before we got there, and the alarm went off. I can only imagine how high the person jumped and how terrified they were - the alarm is not just loud, it's massively supersonic loud.

Ah, the joys of doing the little things. It's a good reminder to slow down, take it easy and to take care of the important small details.

Thank you for your patience and for shopping local. It's very important, as this story from last night so aptly points out. And I vow to do better and unlock the doors when we open, and lock them when we close.


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