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so I waited. She finished his transaction, and he winked at me and said, "Good luck," as he was leaving the store.

The clerk then turned back to the credit card machine, looked at it, and then started waiting on another customer. All the while, I'm still standing there. She waits on two more customers before I finally ask her what the problem is. She said, pointing to another clerk behind her, "He's on the phone and the credit card machine won't connect until the line is free."

Sigh! Ah, okay. Let's not interrupt his phone call to actually do some work at his job.

Eventually, he did get off the phone, my transaction was complete, and after I had already signed the receipt, she said, "Do you want to purchase a discounted car wash with your gasoline today?"

I just smiled and walked out the door and pumped my gas.

I suppose that saving a little money might be worth it to some, but I've come to realize that my time and being treated with courtesy and respect is worth a few extra pennies too, and no one checked my oil or fluid, washed my windows, or told me to have a nice day.

Perhaps little ma and pop stores are mostly a thing of the past, and have given way to the larger corporate stores that can afford to slash prices, but they also slash customer service along with it. Until people realize that sometimes, in fact, most of the time, good customer service, service with a smile, and good store policies are worth a few extra bucks, the large conglomerates and super stores will continue to thrive and more and more small, independently owned ma and pop or family run stores will continue to suffer.

I, for one, intend to continue to give the stores who treat me as a valued customer my business, even if it means that I might have to pay a bit more for service. Remember the old adage: you get what you pay for you - and realize that this means a lot more than just the product you purchase.

Learn more about this author, Michelle L Devon.
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