It’s 10 am on a November morning and Barb and I are headed out to Mudpuddle Pottery in Pegram, TN to sell some pottery at a holiday craft fair. Our pots, mugs, masks, and sculptures are neatly packed. As we head down the driveway, Barb mentions we needs to stop at Walmart to get some small stickers to write prices on.
Walmart is the last place I want to go on a Saturday morning. I grit my teeth and suggest we stop at the Dollar General in Vanleer. That’s the nearest town to us.
I grit my teeth because up until recently, I also loathed going there. I’m waiting for the grinning “I told you so” Barb is about to give me.
Moving to Tennessee in 2014 was a culture shock. I’ve never lived in the country before, nor been more than 10 minutes from a grocery store. Vanleer is 17 miles from Dickson, the nearest city. If you head North for about 25 miles, you’ll hit Clarksville, the fifth largest city in the state and where my mom lives. If you need a missing ingredient for something you’re cooking, you’re screwed.
Unless you consider the Vanleer Dollar General an option. It’s only seven miles away.
Dollar General is a rural staple. You find them in nearly every town. Sometimes the’ll be on both ends of town if your town is large enough. The running meme is a sign posted warning “Last Dollar General for 10 miles.”
My first impression of Dollar General was that Walmartthrew up inside the store. One half of the store had groceries and the other had nearly everything else you can imagine. The aisles were crowded, disorganized, and dirty. One employee did everything from stocking shelves to ringing out customers. There was no produce on site. That’s common because rural folks either eat what they grow or don’t eat produce at all. I made the decision not to go back in there if I didn’t have to.
But one day I did. As I walked in the store, the manager, an overweight middle-aged woman was chasing out two rough looking dudes in camo clothes with a garden rake. They were attempting to shoplift. Where did she get a garden rake? Do you really have to ask me that? It’s a Dollar General! Why wouldn’t there be rakes for sale?
I guess I’m a spoiled shopper. In Maryland we did our food shopping at Wegman’s. That’s paradise. The dairy, bakery, and butcher shop were top notch. The produce is fresh and inviting. The store was clean with large open aisles. When we moved to Tennessee, our options in Dickson were Walmart and Kroger. Both were a disappointment. We opted to drive to Clarksville to shop at Publix, the closest thing to a Wegman’s.
When you compare Publix to Dollar General, there’s no comparison. One is a shiny Lexus, and one is a well-used Ford F-150.
With our shopping routine down, I opted to avoid Dollar General.
Until one Friday I was cooking burgers and realized I had no frozen fries. But Dollar General had them.
And the day that Barb was in one of those wine and chocolate bad moods and I had no chocolate fix. But Dollar General had brownie mix and some weird off-brand vanilla ice cream that saved the day for both of us.
Or the convenience of being located on the way to pottery class so I could pick up a Red Bull, Slim Jim, and a box of Mike and Ike’s which pair well with a box of Milk Duds.
Or last Saturday when I realized I needed more apple cider vinegar to make the BBQ sauce for my catering gig.
So, when Barb needed labels, I knew old faithful Dollar General would be there for us yet again. And it was.
Dollar General isn’t pretty, but it has its mission and it’s damn good at it, warts and all. Not unlike the old F-150.
In 1997, I was working as head of Management Information Division (MID) at Naval Dental Center, Northwest (NDCNW) in Bremerton, Washington. MID is where the computer stuff happens. I was given the job because I knew how to turn a computer on and off and other basic things. Our new commanding officer, Captain Jon Berude (pronounced Bur-rudy) was eager to bring NDCNW into the modern age which would also improve his career aspirations.
His task list for me was long and I was overwhelmed. I needed help. I had no idea it would come from an unlikely source.
Jack was not a dental technician. NDCNW was a dental command which meant it was mostly staffed by dentists and dental assistants. To help, several non-dental people were billeted to the command. Jack was a Storekeeper by rating which meant he worked in the supply department.
Dental commands are notorious for eating their young. It might be due to their outsized egos. A dental officer in command looks in uniform like the CO of a ship. But real naval officers see them the way you see your neighbor’s Chihuahua barking at you. It thinks it’s scaring the shit out of you, but you can’t help laughing at it. Navy dental treats outsiders like enemies.
So, the command took a strong disliking to Jack. And let him know it.
Jack didn’t help his cause much. He didn’t have a lot of military bearing and his uniform looked as though he slept in it. The more he was ostracized, the more bitter and frustrated he became.
Once I got to know Jack, I realized his real passion was computers. He loved them as a hobby and actually knew quite a bit. We hatched a plan where I would lobby for some help in MID and that would take him out of everyone’s crosshairs and give him a chance to show his talents.
Since Capt. Berude came into the shop quite often, we chose to engage him there, informally. We made our case on how we could accomplish our goals with his help. He agreed. Thankfully we jumped the chain of command because a request would have likely never made it to his desk.
Over the next year or so, MID produced! I got all the credit of course but nobody but Capt. Berude and I believed Jack was the reason. Even when I clearly told them. I don’t think Jack minded though. He was enjoying his job for a change and padding his resume, which served him well when he walked out of the Navy and into a long, rewarding IT career that he’s still enjoying. He and his family live in Oklahoma, and we keep in touch.
NDCNW WANTED Publix and a Lexus. Anything other than that was seen as cheap, Dollar General-quality, rusted F-150-worthy.
But the NDCNW NEEDED the Dollar General, F-150 that was Jack. And they would never have succeeded without him.
When was the last time you evaluated your own performance and talents? Are you the right fit for what you’re doing right now? Are you maximizing your gifts?
If you manage people, are you taking the time to regularly engage them in career development conversations? Do you look for opportunities to put them in situations where their talents will show?
I’m grateful for my little run-down Dollar General. It’s saved my ass many times now and will likely again. I’m grateful for the chance to work with Jack and see someone find their groove.
What will you do this year to move closer to your potential?