I decided this week that I needed a new pair of shoes. Mine were beginning to leak! Because of my current limited mobility I needed to get to the nearest shoe shop without having to walk far from the car. I had heard that the shop where I bought my last pair about two years ago was probably going to close down.
And so on Thursday morning I set off for the High Street and lo and behold a parking space only about 50 yards from the shop. The shop open and there were no other customers.
The shopkeeper greeted me, looked at my feet and said
"Do you want another pair like that? I have one pair of size 7 left!"
I looked in some amazement at him.
" You came in about two years ago, with your son who was staying with you from Australia!"
"Yes please, these have done very well, and yes it was my son."
And so after trying on the new ones and having a little easing on his special machine, I bought them. And they were the same price that I had paid two years back.
When I went to pay for them he saw my late wife's photo in the card holder.
"Oh I remember her, she was a lovely lady, always with a smile on her face. She came in here quite often for her shoes".
And then, having packed the shoes into a box he said
"Where have you parked you car?" and then proceed to carry the parcel along the street to where I was parked.
What a memory and what splendid service and customer awareness. It will be a sad day when he closes. rj
