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Logan International Airport would be much improved if it had free roaming cats lounging next to the lobster vendors, or prowling through the baggage claim. Beef Island Airport in the British Virgin Islands not only has cats, but chickens and goats by the taxi stand. It may not be hi-tech, chrome plated or plush carpeted, but Beef Island gets high marks in my book by virtue of its animal tolerant policies. Waiting for your taxi in the tropical heat is certainly more interesting when the taxis are navigating through a herd of streetwise goats.
There are few businesses that aren’t improved by having a few animals on-site. Not so long ago hardware stores almost always had dogs. It was a wonderful service. You could get a loving gaze with your assortment of hose washers. I realize that I am nostalgically looking for a little slobbering over the customers instead of that vacant stare you get when you are at the Mega Stationer’s looking for Avery-Dennison labels in an unusual size. “Uh, we don’t carry those, but we could special order them.” If I had wanted to special order them I wouldn’t have come to the Mega store, now would I?
Of course the fault lies not completely with our retail professionals. Many customers try to hand over their credit cards as if they were inserting them into a bank machine. Try this simple experiment next time you are at the register. Look across the counter, smile and ask, “How are you? Has it been busy today?” or “How long is your shift?” or “Have you been outside today? It’s nice!” You’ll be surprised to discover that the zombie across the counter is actually alive! A fellow creature! At small shops, the service may or may not be better, and the selection may be smaller, but your chances of having a favorable encounter with a dog or cat are greatly enhanced. So, even if you come away empty handed, the day won’t be a total loss. Some of the new super stores have gotten so large that one dog would hardly do. Home Depot has enough territory to support a lumber dog, a paint supplies dog and a lawn and garden dog, as well as a decorator cat. Of course the critters would have to keep a sharp eye out for the forklifts beeping their way through the aisles. Bookstores have always favored cats for their contemplative nature. You could find them sprawled thoughtfully among the window displays or sleeping on the bargain table. Barnes and Noble could support a cat for every genre. The Mystery cat, the Sci-Fi cat. I imagine that the Starbucks cat would be very much at home among the frothy latte. Hospitals don’t usually have dogs, but I recently witnessed a little girl in Gynocological Oncology crying to see her mommy. Mom had an appointment and was probably indisposed with her feet in the stirrups. The little girl was convinced that there were monsters hiding in the ficus tree. It would be hard to imagine that little girl being quite so upset if old Jack the Black Lab Retriever were on the case. No monsters here, ma’am. I’m thinking of using the pet on site as a qualifier for some of my business transactions. Excuse me, but is there an animal on duty? No, well never mind then. Some people judge diners by how many clocks are on the wall, or honkytonks by how many neon signs glow in the window. I’ll stick with the number of working dogs and cats in a retail establishment as my favorite indicator of a class operation. At least I know that someone there will be happy to see a customer. |
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Service is notoriously bad these days. Most of the mammoth retailers seem to feel that we have no choice but to fork over our Visa cards in exchange for their merchandise. Few realize that a big chain of stores can be a very unpleasant place to shop. It can be hard to find the little widget you are after in a store the size of Cleveland, Ohio. And heaven help you if you need instructions on using your widget!
