The Hidden Cost

Today’s post encompasses corporate America, baby boomers, shopping, marriage and the hidden cost of always being right. I know this to be a true story, because it happened to me…

I was doing some shopping last week (that’s the baby boomer/shopping part) and when I got home I noticed that I did not have a receipt from the grocery store. I had, instead, a long blank slip with coupons printed all over it. I must have mistakenly taken it and missed the actual receipt. But, since some stores print on both sides of the tape, I wasn't really sure that I had done anything wrong. (That’s the corporate America part.)

So, I told my wife that I forgot to take the receipt; after being married so long I immediately dismissed the notion that I was right; I mean it must be my fault. Sue just kidded me a bit about getting old and forgetful. (That’s the marriage part.)

So, imagine how happy; nay thrilled; I was the other day when, shopping at the same store, I got the receipt and it was printed on both sides, proving that I did not in fact forget the receipt last week. I even remembered the amount being $29.71; a feat for which I was given no credit at all.

It was with triumph in my heart that I sat down in the car and wrote the note on the receipt pictured above, proclaiming the fact that; just as with Wolf Larson in “Sea Wolf” by Jack London; I was indeed right. I even got about 5 miles down the road before I realized the hidden cost associated with my being right. I had forgotten to take the $6 dollars change I asked for…

Black Friday and Hotel Rooms

Black Friday; this is what it’s all about; camping outside in the pre-dawn hours for that extra special, super-duper, early bird, smart shopper deal. Ah, the camaraderie, the sense of community and holiday cheer as you wait in line. Then the doors open and you trample over the old lady with the walker in front of you to save a few bucks. Don’t look for me there!

This year Sue and I went to Chapel Hill to have Thanksgiving with our daughter Sarah. Dinner was great; it was good to see Sarah and her husband, Michael. But, Sue and Sarah have a holiday tradition of meeting one another at the mall on Black Friday, so we spent the night at a local historic hotel; supposedly haunted; so that they could meet one another early today. I’d rather have gone home. The ghosts don’t bother me; I’d just rather be at home.

But, “home” is where you lay your head; and so, accordingly I brought along a few things to make my time in the hotel room more enjoyable, providing I don’t annoy the ghosts. So, with guitar in hand, an I-pod in my pocket, along with a good book to read, I’ve settled in for a comfortable morning while Sarah and Sue go shopping. Sue left at the ghostly hour of something like 6 AM, which didn’t bother me as I am usually awake at that hour anyway, getting ready to take a nap.

After a light breakfast and reading the morning paper, I will probably play some guitar; providing the ghosts are not annoyed; and listen to some music while I shower. Then I’ll work on my blog, looking for something suitable for tomorrow’s weekly cartoon. By the time I finish fooling around with all of this; once again provided that I have not annoyed the ghosts; it will be about time for Sue to return and we’ll check out. Then we’ll head home, stopping along the way to eat and look at stuff. That’s what we do.

So, don’t look for me in the crowds today. You won’t find me. I do my shopping at about 2 PM on weekday afternoons, when the stores are virtually deserted. But, I have to admit, there is nothing as relaxing as being in a hotel room; where you can’t possibly run into something you forgot to do around the house. And, even if you do, there’s not much you can do about it.

New Math and Clueless Clerks

Sue went to the grocery store at lunch today. It was a simple transaction, less than $20. The total was actually $17.07 Using her ATM card, Sue asked for $2.93 change in order to round the bill up to a neat $20. Easy to remember if you lose the receipt. The girl at the register handed her $20. Sue gave it back and tried to explain that she had been given too much change. The clerk was clueless, she had no idea what Sue was talking about. "The receipt says Debit $20.00, so I gave you $20.00.", was about the only response she was able to offer. Sue tried to reason with her, to no avail.

The Assistant Manager was called over, surely he could straighten this out. Nope. Totally beyond his power of reasoning. Time to call in the big guns. The Manager! It took him a minute or two, collecting information on all sides to the dispute, before carefully adding and subtracting the applicable numbers, which proved Sue to be correct. She had been given $20 too much.

It's frightening to think of all the time and effort that was brought to bear in correcting a problem as simple as addition and subtraction. But it's one of the many things I love about Sue. Me, I would have given up after the Assistant Manager and just tossed the $20 in the Salvation Army kettle outside.

"Our Vanishing Americana" A Documentary by Mike Lassiter and Scott Galloway

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Mike Lassiter and Scott Galloway, both local residents, were having a screening of their film, "Our Vanishing Americana", at the local Public School in Davidson this past Sunday. Originally published as a book by Mr. Lassiter in 2006, this beautiful collection of photographs, and their accompanying stories, were, with the aid of Scott Galloway, made into a wonderful film documentary in 2009. I originally ran across this book at the Library in Mooresville and saw the film last winter on TV1, a local municipal station. The whole idea of making a film from the book sprang from the simple act of Mr. Lassiter's having met Mr. Galloway. Sharing the same passion for these old stores propelled them to collaborate on the film. So they set off to revisit several of the places shown in the original book.

Utilizing the photographs of local "Mom and Pop" stores, Mr. Lassiter had drawn an impression of North Carolina that seems to disappear more quickly with each passing day. (Witness the old Fire Station on South Boulevard as a recent example.) It's what we do here, tear down the old buildings and landmarks, replacing them with corporate arenas that no one wants, or attends. Shopping malls, large and small, along with housing developments, dot the countryside where once there were beautiful, intimate towns and country stores. Some of these stores had been owned and operated for generations by the same families. There aren't that many left.

I am lucky enough to live in an area of the state that is home to a few of the stores highlighted in the book, as well as the film. The personalities of the people in the original photos seem to spring to life on the screen. And Mr. Galloway does a superb job in making that happen. He captures on film, that quality of light, and even the ambience of the places he films. With the added combination of Mr. Lassiter's narrative, the whole experience takes on a life of it's own.

The music that punctuates portions of the film is, for the most part, all homegrown. From "Country Roads" by native son James Taylor, to the rollicking sound of "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show, the music is pure North Carolina, and speaks to the beauty of the area.

One of the best, and most poignant portraits in the film is the segment that deals with Hinckle's Market in Lexington. The store is in it's third generation, and while the current owner and his brother have often contemplated closing it, whenever a customer comes in and tells him that the town couldn't live without him, they simply keep on.

D.E. Turner's Hardware store, located about 15 minutes from my home, is featured in the film. I have purchased odds and ends there for over 10 years. I have bought as few as 4 screws there when necessary to complete a job. His Radio Flyer collection of toys is unequaled the area.

The whole point of this effort by Mr. Lassiter and Mr. Galloway, is not simply to sell nostalgia, but more importantly, to ask what we can do to preserve these stores for our children and grandchildren. And while we all understand the necessity of shopping for the best price, maybe we can step back a bit and buy some things from our local Main Street stores. Only by keeping the stores economically viable can we hope to keep them going for yet another generation. And the most important thing of all is that with each of these "mom and pop" shops that gets lost - we lose a little bit more of ourselves.

Here is the link to the site for "Our Vanishing Americana." Hurry up and take a look, it's going fast. And thanks to Mr. Lassiter and Mr. Galloway for a delightful treat on a Sunday afternoon.

http://ncamericana.com/