Ostrich Feathers

I live in a small town.  (Around thirty thousand inhabitants.)

I was reminded of that fact yesterday when WR and I stopped at a business that provides cleanup services for homes and businesses.  They hire out teams to mop up after small fires, sewage spills, floods, and other major messes of your choice.  In addition to renting out their staff, they have a small store front in which they display and sell a limited amount of janitorial supplies to others who "clean" for a living.



My quest for a real ostrich feather duster was why I ventured there.  I had used my daughter Karmyn's feather duster (while helping her after her surgeries) and thought it made dusting less excruciating . There was something kind of French Maidy about it.

Dusting is my least favorite chore, so I won't say I was excited about finding them on display.  I will say, however, that I was pleased there were several choices and they were in my price range.  I chose one and we set it on the counter.


When WR pulled out the debit card, the middle aged woman behind the counter smiled and said, "Sorry, we only take cash or check."

He rummaged through his pockets and found nothing.  I shook my head and squinched my lips declaring that I didn't have any cash on me, either.  We rarely carry the check book.

"We will come back later," I sighed and attempted to appear a little sad, of course.

"Oh No!" Was her immediate response.  "You go ahead and take it and I will just send you a bill. What is your address?"

We told her we didn't want her to have to mail out a bill for a feather duster and that we truly could wait for another day.

She then handed me the feather duster and laughed, "You just take it. Come back and pay for it when you can.  Give me your name and your telephone number and I will call you if you forget!"

So I took it.  Oui! I now own my very own real ostrich feather duster.
 
(And I went back later and paid for it, too.)

Comments

bichonpawz said…
Nice to know that there are still some establishments that are run like that!! I bet she just KNEW you were going to come right back and give her the money!!

Good for you Pamela! Have fun with your feathers!!
Amanda said…
WOW! That's pretty amazing. You NEVER hear about stuff like that happening anymore. What's more amazing than her giving it to you without payment is the notion that someone takes CHECKS over CREDIT!! Whoa!
Sandy said…
I do love small towns. Our town is around 16,000 people and 1,000,000 cows. Our local electric company still does not accept debit and/or credit cards along with several other stores.
DesLily said…
wow!! WOW, WoW! I can honestly say in 67 years I never heard of trust from a "business person"... you should print out this post and keep in with your "keepsakes"!
Gattina said…
Wow what a service ! Usually all women here behind a counter have a face as if they just had bitten in a sour apple.
Good luck with your (still unpayed ?) feather duster !
Sayre said…
Small town life is disappearing so quickly... it's nice to hear that some aspects of it still survive. I think if someone said that to my son, he'd be shocked - but he'd also come back to pay. He's that kind of kid.
Jan n Jer said…
This is a heart warming story. Can you imagine this happening in NYC or any other big city!!! We live in a small town and I can see it happening here. I love small town charm!!! Enjoy your feather duster...I hate to dust also!!!
Kila said…
LOL, love it! That could happen in WI.

Enjoy your new toy!
chrisb said…
That's really wonderful-these days it wouldn't happen here. However it does remind me of the shop my parents ran when I was a kid and very often people even came to the house out of hours for things! They were mostly honest and did pay, although some took a long time.
karmyn said…
WHAT???? That's shocking. I bet your feather duster was cheaper than mine.
Intense Guy said…
This salesperson obviously didn't realize that "the dust (really) will wait"...

:)

Nice to see that sort of thing - its become a rarer and rarer thing in these parts - but not totally unheard of...
grammy said…
Of course you went back and paid.
It would have been so embarrasing to have them call you (:
You the dusty one has a feather duster and an ostrich one at that..let see a photo:)
Peter said…
So what are you going to call your blog now??????
~sWaMpY~ said…
Peter took the words right out of my mouth !
I just had a conversation with my aunt about this same topic. We both are from a town in SE "Okrahoma" with a population of less that 2,000. I ordered two red bud trees over the phone for my cousin and was ready to give the owner my VISA number. She said they didn't take credit cards and to just send her the money when, "I Got Round To It."
Now, an important questions: "When will you go looking for the little French Maid Outfit" to match you feather duster.
Ms. Kathleen said…
Wow, that is impressive. I love it when people go back to old trustworthy values. It is so heartwarming :)
Desert Songbird said…
I'm always amazed when there is a business that doesn't take debit cards; yes, I know there is a fee for the business, but because so many people do NOT carry cash or checkbooks, you would think they would just pay the fees and accept the card. Even more astounding, however, is the fact that they TRUST their customers to pay for a product after already taking possession of the product. WOW!

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