Our View: No complaints about customer service

One of the benefits of smalltown life is the excellent customer service we enjoy from our local stores, shops and workers.

Whether it’s a clerk at the gas station, a carpenter or plumber for your home, a nurse at the clinic, or mechanic at the garage, there’s a pretty good chance you’re getting served by someone who knows you, attends church with your uncle, went to grade school with your mother, or even lives next door to you.

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen gas station clerks tell a customer who forgot her wallet to not worry, go on her errands and come back later to pay. We’ve seen a body shop apologize for some scratches that were overlooked in a recent repair, and not only offer to fix the scratches, but to give the customer a ride home after he dropped his car off. And on a pickup order that accidently left out the breadsticks, the manager was on the phone before we even got home and was sending a delivery driver out to drop them off.

Now that’s customer service, and it all happened here, in Carlton County, from locally operated businesses.

We’ve even seen the police stop at the neighborhood kids’ lemonade stand; the kids were excited to treat the cops like heroes, and the police were genuinely interested in meeting the neighborhood kids. It’s the kind of customer service that goes both ways and makes Carlton County a great place to live.

So the next time you see someone who’s treated you right, take a minute to wave and say “thanks” — we bet they will appreciate it.

We welcome your input to the Pine Knot News community newspaper. Send your thoughts, letters, or news to

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