I’m getting ready to attend the Picture Framing Industry’s trade show in Atlanta and I realize that my shoes are looking pretty tired and need a good, professional shining.

Every night on the way home from work I pass a shoe repair store with neon signs announcing all of their services – including fast service and shining.

As I walk up from the street towards the store, I see the shopkeeper sitting at the counter by the front door doing absolutely nothing.

That always gives me mixed feelings.  Generally, I would like my staff to be doing something.  On the odd chance that they don’t, I’d at least like them to appear as if they are.  I think it adds a vibrancy and credibility to the retail scene.  Customers are thrilled if you drop what you are doing to help them.  On the other hand, customers feel oddly apologetic if they feel like they are disturbing your downtime.

In this case however, I felt positive that he was doing nothing because it meant he would almost certainly have time to take care of what I needed.

So I walk into the store and the guy behind the counter looks up at me and the pair of shoes I have in my hand and says absolutely nothing.  Okay, it would obviously be up to me to lead him through the process…

“Can you shine my shoes?” I ask.

“Sure” he says.

“Can you do it while I wait?”

“No, I do them all at once after closing – you can get them tomorrow.”

“Actually, I have an early plane tomorrow. Would it be possible to get them this afternoon?”

“No” – he says while still sitting and staring up at me.

But, he adds, the barber shop two doors down has a shoe shine guy that will probably do it.

I walk down to the barber shop where I can see through the window two barbers sitting and talking (no customers).

As I open the door, they both jump up and welcome me. I ask if they can shine my shoes and they are thrilled to do it.  “Do you need a haircut while you wait?” the second barber asks as the first gets to work on my shoes.

Imagine that – the shoe guy sends me to the barber shop to get my shoes worked on.

The shoe guy sits on his butt while the barbers hustle to make money (and a great impression).

Long term, I’m betting on the barbers. The shoe guy won’t see me again.

Marc Bluestone