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Another Smalltown anecdote.

2006-05-12
2:42 p.m.

Hubby and I have lived in a city all of our married lives. First New Orleans, then Charleston, SC. Life in Smalltown is very different, but we're all adjusting nicely, albeit slowly.

Today Hubby and I were thrown for a loop, though, at a restaurant we went to for lunch. It's a small restaurant in a lakehouse, and it is wonderful. However, we often live via our debit cards, and being city-dwellers, well, we're surprised when someone doesn't take one. This thought didn't occur to us until we were walking up the stairs into the restaurant, and we started pooling funds from our wallets. A total of $16 between us...probably not enough. If they didn't take debit cards, we'd need to go back into town to the bank.

Seeing no signs on the door, Hubby grabbed one of the waiters passing by and asked him if they took debit cards. He answered no, they didn't, but if we wanted to go ahead and eat lunch, well, they'd just take our name and address and send us a bill.

You could have knocked us down with a feather. Both of us with the same feather, even. We were both just stunned for a few seconds, and about to ask for a repeat. I finally recovered enough to tell him I did have a checkbook with me, and he said that'd be fine, too.

It was a wonderful lunch, and it turns out that that waiter is actually one of the owners. He came and sat at the table with us and chatted us right up. The food was excellent, too. We'll be back.


8 comments so far Summer Gale - 2006-05-12 16:11:04
I have a store across my street. If I'm short cash I borrow a few bucks and repay it the next day after I found a bank or they let me have my stuff and make a note behind the cash register and I pay it the next day. When I fedEx stuff to my house and I know I will be at work I send it there and they accept it for me. Small town is a wonderful thing except everyone will tell you what your kids are doing too when they are teenagers. Sometimes you'd rather not know.
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Bonnie - 2006-05-13 11:20:27
I grew up in a very small town and it was like that. There was a gas station that closed at like 6pm but kept the pumps on so you could just get your gas and leave the $$ in a box they had set out. I doubt they are still doing that these days, though.
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Holly - 2006-05-13 12:12:19
I grew up on a farm 10 miles from a town of 1500. That kind of thing doesn' suprise me at all. When I was a kid, many times I tried to buy something and was a bit short, somebody would kick in some change. It also wasn't uncommon for people to charge thier grocieries and pay the bill at the end of the month, though I dont' think anybody does that anymore. My dad used to buy gas/diesel that way, since we were farmers and bought such a large amount at a time.
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Cindy - 2006-05-14 14:30:39
I love this post. It reminded me of my daddy always telling me that if I needed gas and had no cash, to go to my neighbors filling station and tell him to put it on Daddy's tab. Times sure have changed.
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Cindy - 2006-05-14 14:32:14
Love the picture too!
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Megan - 2006-05-15 10:53:43
Your post was a trigger for me too... Only a block from our house (1960s era) was a tiny white grocery store. Mr. Lewis was the owner who extended credit to every family in the neighborhood. He'd pull out a sheet of paper, write down what we'd bought and the amount owed. We'd sign for the items and pay at the end of the month, if not sooner. The store closed when Mr. Lewis died, though the building is still there... empty. He had the best double Popsicles in his freezer. They were always frozen solid enough so that we could ride our bikes home without them melting on the way.
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Megan - 2006-05-15 10:58:43
By the way, thank you for your heartfelt comments. Someone else read what you wrote on my blog site and your words made her cry. Every time I clean my refrigerator now, I will remember that comment you made to your sister-in-law.
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awittykitty - 2006-05-16 19:30:12
The only time I see anything like that is in the summer when people are selling produce and they'll leave a basket out for the money. My town is small enough that it still is safe for things like that.
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