Special Delivery

I had a customer come in the store late yesterday (Tuesday) with her husband in search for a leather recliner they could buy right away. I have (14) different ones on the floor so there was good selection to choose from, only took them about 15 minutes to select one.

Her husband was in very poor health. He didn't look good, and could not move either of his arms. He was having trouble breathing laying down and wanted a recliner to sleep in so he could try to get comfortable. He selected a Bradington Young 4114. They were a very nice couple in their 60's and she wanted me to put the recliner in the back of her Lexus RX 350 SUV. ACK! That's pretty hard to get in a small SUV, especially by myself. And that SUV isn't big enough, either - might go in if fully extended, but how is she going to get it out by herself? I told her it can't go in the Lexus - I was going to bang things all up getting it in, and she was going to hurt herself getting it out.

She didn't want to wait until my delivery guys were in this weekend but was resigned to that if she had to. I don't like to do 1-man deliveries, I'm too old and beat up for lifting 110 lb recliners by myself and long ago lost that macho need to show I can do it, but she had a look on her face that said "PLEASE-PLEASE". I had my Tacoma Pickup here at work today and it wasn't raining - so I told her I would do it after the store closed on the way home, even though I had to go opposite of my way home into the city.

She was so happy I could do that for them. She said "I don't care what it costs - I don't even care if we don't get much more than two weeks use from it, I'm so grateful you can bring that over tonight". I wasn't going to surcharge her for a special delivery, just the regular $ 35 fee.

And so I did. It was in a Condo, and I had to wheel it nearly 1/4 mile on a hand truck plus get through two fire doors with it (required laying it on its side and pivoting it around), but her husband was absolutely thrilled to get it. The smile on his face was worth the sweat equity I had in the delivery. He really was very ill though, so it was a bit sad at the same time. I got my workout and a sore back, but I was really glad to be able to help someone out like that. I could tell it was really important to get that recliner to them right away. She walked with me back to the truck, all the time telling me how I made her day by doing this. Things like that are nice to hear from customers.

My wife wasn't even upset that I was an hour late for dinner! Its all good....