Smile

     As it was Mother's Day weekend, I was looking for flowers early in the morning to make a couple of small arrangements. We had a couple of events to go to and I wanted to bring flowers. I called the local flower market around 8 a.m. to see if they were open and then I called a nearby grocery store that happens to be in the opposite direction. After talking to both places I headed off towards the grocery store knowing that they would have less of a selection, flowers that were not as fresh and possibly a slightly higher price. Had I lost my mind in a few short minutes? No, what happened was the way I was greeted on the phone coupled with my past experiences in both these places combined to make my decision for me.
     The flower market has a brilliant selection of beautiful flowers, priced to sell; unfortunately the folks that operate it are generally sullen, if not rude. On the other hand, the grocery store is owned and operated by a friendly man who hires young and mostly cheerful young men and woman, some of whom have worked at this store for many years. He is always willing to donate something for the school market or the Christmas hamper. The flowers there are inconsistent and I rarely buy them. I do however go out of my way to buy my chicken feed, bread, meat and milk there. When given a choice I would much rather shop where my business seems appreciated and that is true of many places that I shop at on a regular basis. Costco and Walmart cannot be avoided it seems but otherwise I like to shop where the people who work there smile at me and thank me for my business. That's just the way it is.