08/12/2026
Last week I dropped the ball BAD. Not once, but twice in two days. I’d like to blame the surgery I had earlier that week, but sometimes we just screw up. 
First, I forgot to put a customer in the CRM entirely. No automated reminder, nothing on my schedule. Total miss. I showed up the next day with a genuine apology and a fat discount. He turned the discount down. I gave it to him anyway. He didn't care. I was the only one who felt bad about it. He probably forgot by the time I hit the end of his driveway, but I’m the type that dwell on it for the rest of the evening.
The VERY next day I was two hours late on a dumpster delivery. Different customer, same reaction. Didn't bat an eye. But this time I wanted to do more than the expected apology and discount. Some folks aren't in the tax bracket where $50 off means anything. But everybody is in the tax bracket where a meaningful gesture does.
I told him I'd bring him a gift when I came back for the dumpster. Honestly, I don't think he believed me. I could tell he didn’t believe me because he just laughed when I told him not to make me guess if he likes Starbucks or Dutch Bros.
 For the record I would have went with Dutch Bros, but Target only had Starbucks. So a Starbucks card and a handwritten thank you note it was. This time, following through was the whole point.  Plus I was 10 minutes early. I told him if I was late again I’d still bring the gift and I’d kick my own ass in his front lawn. He laughed again, but again I wasn’t joking.
I picked up the can and gave him his gift. He seemed genuinely surprised. He just moved to Flagstaff and asked me if everyone here was this nice. I joked "when they want a five star Google review they are." But after 25 years of living here, I'd say most of us really are just nice people.
And if the thank you card was hard to read, I’m aware, almost 40 and my handwriting hasn't improved since fourth grade.
I plan to keep up the thank you card tradition even if I don’t do anything wrong, but I’m hoping Minuteman Press of Flagstaff has a better solution for me because my handwriting just won’t cut it.

