One of our customers died Wednesday night. We found out when his daughter called Thursday morning to cancel his newspaper order. ‘Mr S’ had been a regular for as long as we can remember. Every day he would front to the counter to collect his newspaper and every day there was a game with the money. You’d go to take the money he was passing to you and he’d quickly withdraw his hand. It was only when you held your hand out that he paced the money into yours. New employees were always caught in the game – much to his delight. Beyond the money game he was someone to look forward to. We enjoyed his company and our days will be the lesser for his passing.
Such is the nature of small businesses like newsagencies that we feel events like this. Each person in the business has a “Mr S’ story. I’m know that some mourned his loss as you would a good friend. He was more important than a daily transaction.
Business is not always about monetary profitability. Some days it is about the people you meet and the reward of memory they leave you with. As is often the case, one only realises this after a loss.