The Sign at the Counter

There's a sign by the till at the general store in Flinders. It's for a seniors discount, and it's the way they've written it that stuck with me. More or less: we know times are tough, and we want to do our part.

We were down there for a few days over the school holidays. It's beautiful, but the first thing I noticed wasn't the water. It was that there was no Coles and no Woolies. Just the general store, and a lovely person behind the counter every morning, happy to have a chat. Most of the Mornington Peninsula seemed to be like that. It was so refreshing.

Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area

Compare that with a supermarket these days. Half the time there isn't even someone at the counter. It's just the machines, and a line of us scanning our own groceries in silence until one of them tells us there's an unexpected item in the bagging area.

And then there's a delivery ad that really gets my goat. The whole pitch is that standing in line is something you need rescuing from. Why queue when it can be couriered to your door? I understand the convenience. But I don't think the line was ever the problem.

The line was where you said hello.

Milk for Lamb, Eggs for Quinces

My grandparents farmed on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, and my nana was heavily involved in the CWA. The way I remember it, the district ran on swapping as much as money. The dairy farmer brought the milk. The sheep farmer brought the lamb. Someone always had eggs, someone else had quinces.

The fruit shops and milk bars I grew up around came from the same place. Of course they had to stay viable; nobody keeps the doors open on goodwill alone. But they weren't chasing super profits, and they weren't trying to get big for the sake of it. They were part of the community, and the community was part of them.

I often think about what it means to be a business these days. I know the answer I'm supposed to give: grow, profit, scale. I'd rather give my nana's.

Grandparents Day

Tomorrow is Grandparents Day. If you're a grandparent reading this, you know better than I do what it asks of you now. A lot of you are helping look after the grandkids, often on pretty modest means, while everything costs more. Not everyone, we know. But a lot of you.

Our costs have gone up too; I won't pretend otherwise. But so much of how our system works is blanket. GST is the same 10% whoever you are. A big system can't tell who's doing it tough. A small business can choose to.

Our Seniors and Concession Discount

So from today, we're offering a Seniors and Concession Discount: 10% off for seniors and concession card holders.

It's built on trust. You sign a short declaration, and the discount is yours. That's it.

The one thing to know: it isn't available during our big sales. The rest of the year, it's there for you.

Our Sign at the Counter

We can't swap you a leg of lamb for a bar of soap (though I'd be tempted by the quinces). But we can do what that general store did, and put up a sign that says: we know times are tough, and we want to do our part.

That's the kind of business I want us to be. Viable, yes. Growing, I hope. But part of an Australian community that looks after each other.

If you know a parent, a grandparent or a neighbour it would help, please pass it on.