When applied to business, honesty, product quality, and customer service will equal Reputation.

Not too far back in our history, this was the cornerstone for a successful business.  Lacking in any one or combination of these qualities had a direct impact on your business standing in the community.  Respect in the community trumped everything else.

I, fortunately, have been blessed with two beautiful daughters married to wonderful husbands.  They have blessed me with four grandchildren, which are my pride and joy.  The young ones always want me to tell them stories about my life growing up.  They kid me about the lack of modern conveniences and gadgets of my childhood, and they can’t believe how I survived without them like iPhones, texting, video games, Super Malls, ATMs, Credit Cards, and so on.

One day I decided to tell them how bad off we were.  I guess by modern standards, we were lower middle income to poor.  My Father was the single breadwinner of our family. I am proud to say he was a teacher, and my Mom was a homemaker, but I like to refer to her as the Coordinating General of the family. 

Now Mom loved her soap operas, and my Father, Sister, and I knew our daily existence around the house revolved around this fact.  “The Edge of Night” and the “Secret Storm” were two of her favorites. Fortunately, I did not relay these facts to the kids; they just wouldn’t get it.

I did make the Grandchildren aware we had a “private line” phone in our house; forget about explaining a “party line” it would get mixed up in translation with present implications.  As a side note, our phone number consisted of only three single-digit numbers and was quite simple to remember.  I did not tell them this; I didn’t want to show off.  And by the way, if I forget a number, I dial “O” for information and some lovely lady would be happy to help me, no extra charge. 

Ahh, service is a fleeting dying vice.

Well, this phone was my Moms tool of her trade.  Her world revolved around this convenience.  She called our grocer with her order.  They would fill it and have it delivered to our home. There was no extra charge. They even billed Mom, which she paid every two weeks.  She had the same routine as the butcher. I can hear her now instructing him as to the various cuts of meat and poultry she was planning to serve for this week.  The local dairy delivered the dairy products to the house, including orange juice and, on special occasions, even chocolate milk.

During the summer months, a bakery truck came by, and we went aboard to make our selection. Again, the aroma of fresh baked goods was delightful.

At our home, dinner was promptly served at 5:30.  All family members were required to be present.  We were all willing participants as Mom was a great cook.

It was sad to see the expressions on the faces of my offspring when I informed them we did not have cell phones or texting to communicate with the world at the table.  All we had was each other for the conversation, which made all the difference.

They could not believe we drank water from the taps in our house, even the outside taps on a hot summer day.  I think this almost brought them to tears.  They felt so sad that I did not have the opportunity to shlep home gallon jugs of water from the supermarket.

When my Dad took the car to the service station (yes, it was called a “Service” Station for a reason), he did not have to fuel it himself; an attendant did it for him. During the process, another would check the air in the tires and the oil, while the first attendant would scurry around the car, washing the windshield, side mirrors, headlights, and brake lights.

Ahh, the misery, the unbearable human suffering we dealt with during that time of my life.

So here is the bottom line.  We had no franchise stores in our town.  They were all small, privately owned by members of our community.  And yes, we did not have the large variety offered today by big box stores.  But, frankly, it was not something I missed as a child.  What we did have was community.  Each shopkeeper took an interest in their customer because they were often friends.  Quality and service were not just words. They were deeds.  Profit was accepted to be earned by the proprietor while doing business, but it was prefaced and understood as a “fair” profit.  Reputation, on the other hand, was not negotiable; it was expected to be high and offered willingly, and it was.