Appreciating being appreciated
Not long ago, I decided I wouldn’t be giving any more of my money to a certain sneaker company. I’m not a wealthy man, and I don’t buy up a ton of sneakers. But it was the brand that we typically wore. By the time you figure four people getting a couple pair of shoes per year, it was a decent amount of money out of our family’s budget.
I don’t care what people do with their money. If you want to buy the product, just do it. I still have a pair I wear. I’m not going to burn them or trash them. I don’t have money like that. But when they wear out, there are other brands I’ll go with.
Likewise, I don’t care what companies do with their company. It’s their business, they can do with it what they please. The only control I have over the situation is whether I give them my money or not.
A buddy of mine, who has no issue with the company in question, let me know rather quickly how little they would miss my business. He was right. They won’t skip a beat. For every person who stops spending money with them, someone else will start. It’s the world we live in.
I’m not dense enough to think that what little amount of money I may spend in a given year would make a dent in a billion-dollar company’s bottom line. I’m pretty insignificant as far as this great big world is concerned, no matter what my dear mama may believe.
While it’s true I won’t make a difference
in the sneaker industry, I did have an instance the other day where I realized I can make a difference with my dollars. I was scrolling online and saw a shirt I liked from “Nine Line Apparel.” It didn’t cost much so I ordered it and didn’t think much about it.
I don’t remember if it was the next few minutes or the next morning, but I received an email from the company that thanked me for my recent order. It went on to explain that the support shown over the last week had brought them the highest sales the small company had ever seen. Due to the massive influx, they wanted me to know ahead of time that I might experience a delay in shipping.
There was a bit more to the email, but that’s the gist. Then there was a link for me to customer service if I had any questions or concerns.
It was a nice email to get. It seemed sincere and I appreciated receiving it. They even threw a free sticker and coozie in the package.
I made a difference for that company. At least I feel like I did. Because they made me feel like I did. And that’s good enough for me. I’m not going to change the world because I change who I give my disposable income to. But at least I can give it to companies who appreciate me.