Personal Touches

March 22, 2007 - 7:30 AM by Stephanie

Last week I stopped into my neighborhood makolet – a corner convenience store of sorts – to pick up a newspaper and some milk. The owner asked: “Where have you been? Come by more often. I don’t see you anymore.”

I don’t particularly like his store. It’s dingy shabby and outdated compared with today’s one-stop-shop 24-hour AM:PM’s – and I get irritated with his chain smoking inside the store or when he invariably asks: Do you have everything you need at home? Milk? Cheese? Are you sure you don’t need something else?

But when he asked for me to come more often, I “got it” i.e. he and his store are barely staying afloat. So yeah, I get rolls and newspapers and other sundries there on occasion out of a sense of obligation and perhaps even (cough cough) compassion.

At the Muqata, a loyal reader writes about a smiliar experience with his “train station guy” who tipped him off for the holidays:

Yesterday, the station master, a young man with payot & a kippah sruga approached me as I was standing on the platform awaiting the train. This fellow sees tens of thousands of people a day pass through his station who buy tickets from him.

He said; “You usually buy a Chofshei chodshei (monthly Pass) don’t you? I answered in the affirmative. He said, “I just want to point out to you that next month April, coinsides exactly with Chodesh Nissan. There aren’t many work days in the month due to Pesach, Chol Hamoed, Yom Hazicaron &Yom Haatzmaut so I suggest you buy a daily, or weekly pass only — save yourself some money and buy your wife something nice for the chag (holiday…slf).” I thanked him and smiles to myself…..only in Israel.

Share with others