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For over 30 years we've had good contact with one of our suppliers. He started off supplying batteries and Christmas lights, but later he also started supplying light bulbs (incandescent and LED) and extension cords. He worked for his father, who has retired a couple of years ago. He would come every other Tuesday, to bring our order and to have a cup of tea and chat for a while. I always looked forward to those Tuesdays. It wasn't always about business we chatted, but also personal things. After the fire ten years ago he came over a couple of days to help empty the basement.
Even after our store closed in July he came by every other Tuesday, just to catch up. Last week I was house hunting when he came by. And next week I won't be home either because we're visiting two houses that day. And it's the last time he's visiting our old house. Because two weeks later my parents have moved into their vacation accommodation the day before. He has promised to come visit them there with his wife and he'll also come visit once my parents' new apartment is ready, once my sister and I move I'll probably invite them to visit, too.
I'll miss the fortnightly visits. In the past most of our suppliers had representatives/salespersons come visit us regularly. Before email and web shops they came to get the order and show the new things. After most suppliers got their own web shops your contact person might come by once a year to show new things. But since Covid that is something of the past. We have two suppliers (both family businesses) that regularly call, to see if we need anything and ask if we've seen their emails with offers and new products, but other, bigger, suppliers you have to contact yourself. I can understand why that stopped, but it's a shame that there aren't any salespersons/representatives on the road anymore, at least in our business. So that you see them at least once a year.
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