The case for human interaction at the checkout

 I decided to take a detour from arts reporting again this week since January is a little lighter on events most years, and offer up a minor rant this weekend.  Not quite up to my usual visits to the High Rant District as I call it, but close.

First, let me offer up a bit of history on me.  I hate self checkouts.  Full stop.

For most of my life I have avoided the things, along with bank machines and any other automated replacement for human contact.  Why?  Because I value human contact, and by extension the humans who provide it.

Time was, I paid my bills at the teller at my bank.  I didn't have to of course.  But I got to know my tellers at the local branch and it was more of a social call than anything else, mixed in with a bit official business to make it, well, official.  Then COVID hit and human interaction was not only avoided but most often not allowed.  

I made do and still do by dutifully using the bank machine since my local branch still does not serve customers for ordinary transactions as they once did.  I'm used to it now and will probably just keep going on paying my bills online as I have done the last couple of years or so.  But a small part of the human element is missing and I for one do in fact miss it.

Funnily enough, when I was unceremoniously let go from my radio job after a very long time I still had to work to pay the mortgage and such and decided to put my well-established customer service skills to good use.

I applied for a teller's position at that very bank where I now use the bank machine.  Oh, they call them Members Services Representatives but we all know what that means.  We were tellers.

I may have struggled with the sales aspect of the job which ultimately lost me that position after a year and a half of stress, but I excelled in the customer service department.

Why?  Because I love interacting with people.  I give respect and hopefully receive it back in kind.  I got to know a lot of the people I served by name but also found out about their lives and what made them tick.

Perhaps it was all those years in radio as an interviewer that prepared me for this aspect of the position.

On one memorable occasion a young lady came in rather stressed and as I always did I asked how she was that day.  She teared up as she told me she had just found out her young son was diagnosed with autism.  It just so happened some months before I had done a fascinating interview with a gentleman who lived with not one but two autistic sons and he went on to found an online resource for other parents in the same boat and not knowing where to turn.

I took the time to relay as much of that information to this young lady as I could, thankful there were no other customers waiting in the line to be served at that moment.  Afterwards she heaved a sigh of relief and said she was glad she came in that day and I had served her.

I was lousy at sales but I didn't care.  That moment and her comment made my day.  Heck my entire year!

When I am served at a checkout, be it grocery store, my local pharmacy or wherever, I often try to establish a rapport with the person serving me if I see them on a regular basis, which is often the case.  So I would always make it a practice to address them by first name if I knew it.

For me, it was showing respect and appreciation for that person for services rendered, in a setting where more often than not they are subjected to more vitriol than kindness.

It takes so very little effort and yet, it is becoming an increasingly rare commodity.  Kindness.

I was reminded this morning how my Mom and Dad, when they moved down to St. Catharines from Toronto, made new friends in a new city.  Dad made new friends everywhere he went as he was always out going somewhere.  Mom was more of a homebody but every Thursday morning had to go to the local A&P to do the week's grocery shopping.

It turns out Mom developed a real rapport with one cashier in particular and would see this lady every single week for years, and they became friends.  When Mom passed away this lady attended the visitation.  I was touched, because I knew Mom had touched that lady over the years and she was paying it back in kind.

That's what humans do.  Or at least should do.

Why am I bringing all this up today?  Two reasons really.

This week I had to stop at my local Canadian Tire to pick up a couple of things and when I reached the checkout I was dismayed to find there were no service checkouts open.  NONE.  I was forced to use the self-checkout or not buy what I needed.

I reluctantly opted to use the self checkout but cursed silently whilst doing so.  

Now I know it was a weekday afternoon and retaining staff is harder now and blah, blah, blah.  I get that.  But you are in the business of service customers for heaven's sake!  Can you not afford to have ONE service checkout open?!  

This unfortunately, is becoming the rule rather than the exception and I am very much dismayed by it all.

The second reason I brought this up today is because I heard a report on CBC Radio this morning about a North Edmonton Sobey's that has opened what they call a Slow Checkout Lane.  When opened, the friendly cashier takes the time to actually chat with the customer and get to know them.  They are encouraged to take the time with the customer.

How novel an idea is that?!  The manager says the idea came to him after hearing about a store in the Netherlands that did the same thing and he decided to think outside the checkout lane, as it were, and try it.

Turns out it is becoming a hit.  Not with everyone of course and I can't say if I am in a rush I would go into that lane if there were others to choose from.  But to have the choice to do either is so valuable and I dare say, needed more than ever today.

One of the many sad truths about the pandemic is we have lost a great deal of human contact, initially out of necessity and now perhaps, out of habit.  People need human contact, plain and simple.

We live in an increasingly automated age.  Self-serve gas stations are the norm now, for example.  But you usually still have to go to pay someone unless you opt to pay at the pump, which I never do.

Can we not find the time for a little human interaction now and then?  Take the time if you can and wish that person serving you a pleasant day.  I guarantee you they will appreciate it.

Not all interactions will be like the one I had with the young mother of an autistic child but it doesn't matter.  Human interaction is an increasingly rare commodity in today's society and I think we're all the poorer for it.

The Slow Checkout Lane.  An idea whose time has come...again.

Have a great weekend!

January 28th, 2023.

Change of conductor for the Niagara Symphony concert this weekend

 We're getting into that quieter time of the winter season when all the holiday concerts are done and you have a little less choice for live performances.  There's always things going on in the area, of course, but it is much easier to avoid getting overwhelmed as is often the case in November/December.

The highlight this weekend is the next Masterworks concert with the Niagara Symphony, taking place Sunday afternoon at the customary 2:30pm at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

The concert, entitled Gilbert Conducts Dvorak, will not in fact be conducted by guest conductor Dina Gilbert.  Due to what are termed "unforeseen circumstances", Dina Gilbert will not be in town this weekend, but her place on the podium will be taken instead by Martin MacDonald.

MacDonald is turning out to be one of Canada's more dynamic young conductors and was recently named Music Director of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra in East Toronto.  He has travelled across the country conducting orchestras in Victoria all the way across the country to Newfoundland.  That is one of the perks of guest conducting, of course, you get to see a lot of the country and meet a lot of great musicians along the way.

The downside of course is you don't necessarily have a home base to which you return to conduct, although that is now remedied with MacDonald's more recent posting in East Toronto.  Many conductors still travel and guest conduct while away from their home base, of course, and some even prefer to just travel and guest conduct and simply not have to deal with all the administrative duties that come with being a Music Director or Artistic Director.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say...

Anyway, Martin MacDonald, who hails from Cape Breton now makes his home in Toronto so he is certainly within commuting distance to Niagara to take up the baton this weekend.

On the programme this Sunday will be Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, along with Fung's Pizzicato and Vasks' Viola Concerto.  The soloist will be Canadian violist Marina Thibeault, and that means both conductor and soloist will both be making their debuts with the NSO this weekend.

While this can be nerve-wracking for some, coming in to conduct at the last minute, it does happen quite often.  The NSO's own Music Director Bradley Thachuk was recently in Buffalo to pinch hit as conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic.  And history is full of last-minute fill-ins:  one of the most famous in the last century was when Leonard Bernstein took the podium in the 50s to fill in for an ailing Bruno Walter.  That guest stint ultimately led to Bernstein assuming the position of the New York Philharmonic on a permanent basis in 1958 and he held the position until 1969.

So you never know where a guest spot can take you.  It's rarely a good idea to say "No thanks" in a case like that...

Tickets are still available for the Gilbert Conducts Dvorak without Gilbert concert this Sunday afternoon.  Just call or visit the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office or pick them up at the door prior to the performance at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon.  As always, this will be in the home of the NSO, the lovely Partridge Hall.

Have a good weekend!

January 21st, 2023.

Tailoring the past in the present

 I have written recently in this space about my desire in 2023 to up my personal style quotient while lamenting the increasing lack of gentlemanly elegance in both dress and manners in today's society in general.  So this week I wanted to continue that theme somewhat as I take another New Year's detour from my usual arts reporting in this space, if you will indulge me...

Last Saturday, rather than write my regular post here, I headed down to the Hamilton area for the afternoon on a tailoring pilgrimage of sorts.  I embraced both the past and the present while there and it was an opportunity for me to finally connect the dots on a unique purchase I made last summer here in St. Catharines.

You might recall if you follow my social media feeds I came away with a real gem of a find at my local Value Village in July.  Scanning the rack of men's suits and jackets rarely presents a diamond in the rough, but it did this day.  I caught a glimpse of a pair of bright silver silver sleeve buttons, and had to investigate further.

What I found was an exquisite blue blazer that obviously had performed a ceremonial function for a well-dressed gentleman many years ago.  The silver buttons, imprinted with "F.D." suggest it was perhaps the dress jacket for the member of a fire department many years ago.  There obviously were no official emblems or patches, which would have had to be removed once the garment was discarded.  I thought about changing the buttons but so far I have let them remain as they really are special.  I will investigate further the origins of the blazer when I can, but the origins of its manufacture is the real story here.

I always check the inside pockets for any information and right there is a label saying it was manufactured by Firth Tailoring of Hamilton, and inside the pocket was the valuable information it was custom tailored for a gentleman in April of 1967.  This garment I'm holding is now 56 years old!

It is in perfect condition and slipping it on, the fit is perfect as well.  Not a thing needs to be changed.  Amazing.  

It is heavier than your normal blazer and a bit longer, so I chose to utilize it as a fall and early spring coat, over a sweater or turtleneck for warmth.  It cuts quite an elegant look to be sure.

The price?  $21 plus tax.  I felt I had won the lottery!

I love history as well as fine tailoring, so finding both in one garment at a bargain price is for me almost a dream come true.

I took it to my tailor and had an elegant breast pocket patch I picked up years ago as well as a white cotton handkerchief tucked inside added to the breast pocket to personalize it a bit.

So now, the search for the history began.  I found a website documenting the amazing history of Firth Tailoring in downtown Hamilton and discovered the story is an interesting one.  I tracked down a Firth offspring who administers the site, and even sent her pictures of the blazer.

It turns out the company was established in 1890 by tailor and designer Norman F. Firth.  His brother John later joined the company and it became Firth Brothers Tailoring.  The first location was the old Opera House at 106 James Street North in Hamilton, later moving to more spacious location at 144 James Street North, which enabled the company to grow into a thriving retail and wholesale manufacturer.  At its peak in 1959 the company had more than 600 dealers across the country.

Along the way they outgrew the second James Street North location and moved operations a short distance away to a brand new store with adjoining two-story plant at 127 Hughson Street at Cannon in the heart of downtown Hamilton.  

As well as supplying made-to-measure suits, the company supplied as many as 3,000 greatcoats per week for troops serving in the Second World War.

After the war they went back to civilian tailoring and things continued to thrive through the 50s and 60s.  Alas, the advent of cheaper offshore ready-to-wear suits in the 70s largely eliminated the market for fine tailoring for all but a small clientele, and by 1978 the glorious history of Firth Tailoring came to a close.

The building at 127 Hughson Street in Hamilton was then occupied for many years by another men's clothing manufacturer, but eventually they moved on as well and the grand building has sat vacant for many years now, still with the stylized "F" in the front facade at either end of the building.  It has since been bought by a developer and as it is designated a heritage property it will have to be preserved going forward and that is good news.

Last Saturday I had to drive down to see my friends at Stoney Creek Tailors to pick up a small order and afterwards drove into downtown Hamilton to find that now-abandoned Firth Tailoring building.  It is a mere shadow of its former self now of course, but still looking stately and elegant with lots of windows still intact and such a story to tell of the history of men's tailoring in downtown Hamilton.

I stood there on Hughson Street looking across at 127, wearing my Firth Tailoring blazer of course, marvelling at the fact people in that very building put countless hours into the tailoring of this very garment I am now wearing, still looking great 56 years later.

This is what I love about exploring history and how the story evolved.  In a way, I am now a small part of the story as well, I guess, and proud to be so.  This blazer will certainly last the remainder of my lifetime, and that can't be said of many items we have in our collective closets now I bet.

It's funny how a chance encounter in my local thrift shop brought me on this pilgrimage last Saturday afternoon in Hamilton.  That's history.  And that's fascinating.

I will continue to proudly wear my Firth Tailoring blazer and celebrate a great Canadian success story.

Have a great weekend!

January 14th, 2023.