Home-town merchants are always best!
TruckVault News readers will recall that this spring I treated myself to a new bow and a quiver of arrows. This was my first experience with the modern-day tools of Robin Hood and the Plains Indians but I took to the target practice with eagerness and enthusiasm. It was not long, however, before I needed additional arrows, tips and other supplies.
A friend told me he purchases arrows from the BIG C Catalog Company. I ordered a catalog and perused its pages, finding there more questions than answers. As a bow-and-arrow novice, I needed guidance from an expert, not a catalog full of sales pitches. So I returned to the local shop where I purchased the bow and asked for help. Boy, did I get it.
In an hour Gary, the owner of Riverside Archery, taught me more about the use of a high-tech bow than I would have learned in a month looking through that catalog. As my fletchings were being repaired, I tried several different releases before selecting the right one for me, a choice confirmed by the shop owner. Gary cut my arrows to the proper length and installed the inserts properly.
So, what is the point of all this? The point is, let us sportsmen never forget the hard-working Americans who own and run the sporting goods store, and other retail shops, just down the street. These fine people create jobs for the community, pay taxes and are always the first to buy an ad in the high school newspaper or to sponsor a little league team. They also are knowledgeable about the products they sell and are willing to take the time with folks like me who need their expertise.
I may have paid $10 more for the products but the expertise and service were free. Not only was I dealing with a very nice man, but I was, indirectly, helping him to do the important work he carries on in our community.
The next time you are in one of those big chain stores and encounter a trainee who is not sure where the bathroom is, let alone what to suggest for a solution to your problem, recall the locally owned store just downtown. You may pay a bit more but you will receive a lot more in return.
Oh yes, TruckVault is built in America by men and women who receive a living wage and take great pride in the units they produce. Everything we build is guaranteed.
Al Chandler
