Over the last few weeks a few people have stepped up doing favors and these need to be rewarded with something even if it is just a bottle of whisky. I tend to know what people prefer as a their favorite drinks and gave another bottle to someone else not too long ago. That time it was a special edition bottle of rum and the person was blown away as nothing is ever expected and why they deserve it more.
Building relationships with people is a two way street and I have no problem giving my time to help anyone in need and it is great to see this being reciprocated by others. Work is hard enough doing it on your own but when you have others who step in and help freely without even being asked it shows what type of characters are around and these people are indeed rare gems.
The fact for me is people who you have never met before are prepared to help out through the goodness of their heart. It reminds me of those that stop by the side of the road to help an elderly person or a lady change a flat tire. This was something I would not hesitate to do and these days few are reluctant to help due to the safety risks of doing so. Society has definitely lost something these days and what was a regular occurrence is no longer which is a shame. There are still good people around which gives me hope for the future even though like I mentioned it is rare.
These gifts were indeed gifts of gratitude and not like some of the other gifts I have given in the past which were types of bribes. Ok I admit they were bribes and they made such a huge difference. Some of the warehouses or distribution centers we deliver to are a nightmare and trucks are delayed for hours on end. The surest way to bypass all of this red tape is to have the receiving manager in your back pocket. I have always had some type of slush fund which helps the wheels turn in your favor and it is very much needed.
Once a year a hamper of various alcoholic beverages along with some tasty treats will be delivered to their houses as a thank you for the special attention they have given us over the year. This is a fine balance between not being so obvious and just doing their work. Our vehicles would be off loaded as soon as they arrived bypassing the queue of vehicles much to the bewilderment of all the other vehicles in the queue.
In the past I had a truck driver on the payroll who would pre load the day before and come back and fetch another load in the morning all for the set fee. Now imagine if he somehow could fetch two loads in the morning for a cash bonus which is what i set up so I was getting 3 deliveries for the price of 2. The trucking company eventually twigged on and I was told the maximum deliveries was 2 loads, but it was great whilst it lasted.