Fall 2009
Convenience
by Rob Gaskell, Jr.
Remember a day in America when the local auto parts store, hardware store, and other local businesses sold products they believed in, and the person at the counter recommended products not by reading a computer screen telling them what to sell, and not based on the commission they make, but on their expertise and experience? People whose desire to run a profitable business came after the love of their Country, and their desire to do what is right? If not, do you at least remember your dad or grandpa talking about such a day? A day before the big chain stores sold rows and rows of Chinese products that the manager and sales people know nothing about? Its been said that those days are gone, never to return, but these are exactly the principles that we have founded our business on, and we aim to do our part in restoring the America that we all long to live in.
Now there are many Americans out there today who are very angry with Washington and their own state capitols, and they should be. But ultimately we need to remember whose responsibility it is to run this country. That responsibility has been laid upon the shoulders of the people, and it is our responsibility to hold our government accountable. Another great power that has risen in this country is large corporations, who have effectively become our government. We have given them power by abandoning the small business, in more ways than one. We have done this out of convenience, since its easy to go to one huge store, buy your camping gear and groceries, electronics and prescriptions, all while they change your car’s oil. But we need to remember who these corporations are responsible to. These corporations do have a certain responsibility to the customer, but this is usually diluted by the massive volume of customers they see each day. Mostly, they are responsible to the shareholders, who are often spread out across the country and throughout the world. Because of this, they hold little regard for the communities they serve, and little allegiance to our country. In the interest of better profit margins, they will sell cheaper products, move jobs overseas, and reduce customer service to the point that you can now go into most stores, scan your own items, and walk out with the purchase with no contact with store employees!
Lets remember that our votes on election day are not the only time we have a chance to make our voices heard. Each time you spend money, you are giving a powerful vote of confidence for the product and the seller. It is up to us, if we want to live in the America that our fathers and grandfathers loved, to start voting with our voices, our wallets, and our actions. If you believe that we shouldn’t be sending jobs overseas, don’t buy products made overseas just to save a few dollars or a trip to another store. If you believe that stores should give you customer service, demand that they do. If they won’t, shop somewhere else. If you believe that you shouldn’t have to tell an employee at a store how to do their job, stop telling them and start telling the manager! And most importantly, remember that there are small businesses in every city and town in this country that are still dedicated to providing the service, quality, and loyalty to their customers, their community and their country, that too often we call inconvenient. No change for the better has ever come about because it was convenient.
Rob Gaskell, Jr.
Account Manager,
Fleet Service Northwest
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