Service? What's that?

My husband and son went fishing yesterday. They got up early, left before sunrise, and looked forward to a good day fishing. An hour away from home, DH got a flat on his boat trailer. He had a spare, but it had rusted onto the bracket, and he had no tools to get it off. So I wake up (!) and Google tire centers for him. He was half-way between the two in town. He calls the first one, explains the problem, and they refuse to send anyone out, saying they "don't do" roadside assistance. So he calls the second tire store and the lady who answers the phone is very pleasant, and has a young man out there promptly to assist in getting off the spare and putting it on so DH can drive to their shop. He bought 3 new tires from the 2nd tire store, and because he did, they did not charge him for the roadside assistance. I think that is a great way to do business.

Well, by the time DH gets 3 new tires mounted, balanced, and whatever else they do to tires, it was lunch time. So he and DS went to Popeye's Fried Chicken, one of about 4 fast food joints in town. DH whips out his debit card to pay, and the manager says his credit card machine is wonky, to not worry about paying, it was his fault. DH offered to find an ATM and come back and pay cash, but the guy refused it, said have a nice lunch.

So they finally fished, and on the way home, DS wanted more Popeye's. (He gets shrimp. That boy could eat his weight in seafood.) So DH stops again, this time with cash, to buy dinner. The same manager is there. DH offers him $20 for the previous lunch, plus the trouble. The manager still refused to take it.

So my boys, big and little, arrived home yesterday with 3 shiny new tires, a belly full of shrimp, having had a great day, considering they had a flat in the middle of Nowhere. I wish more shops and restaurants ran their business with a sense of civic responsibility like DH encountered yesterday. The lady at the tire store could have charged DH for roadside service, and he'd have paid it. The manager of Popeye's could have refused to take any orders being paid for with a debit card. But neither one did. They realized they were in a service industry, and actually provided service. Those are just more examples of why life is good.