Value Added Experience

By Jim Sollecito

You buy a new power tool or technical device, then they ask if you want to pay for insurance in case the item you finally, thoughtfully, carefully selected fails. Nice. If you have questions, you get a few words printed in four languages and sometimes a website in English. Doesn’t inspire confidence.

I used to enjoy professional waitstaff asking if I’d like freshly ground pepper on my salad. I don’t even like pepper, but I said yes to enjoy the sound of that handsome pepper mill and being pampered for just that moment. How about imported Italian cheese shaved in front of you onto a steaming plate of pasta? Now we’re talking.

I’d rather not weigh my own produce, check myself out and pay a nickel for a thin paper bag. You’d think it’d be free for the store’s labor cost-cutting.

Although I am fully capable, I liked having my gas pumped and windshield professionally cleaned. Part of the experience was the art and sound of a skillfully manipulated squeegee. That’s what made it special and worth the return trip to Peter Muserlian’s Texaco station. Not to mention the free glass with an eight-gallon fill-up. I still have one or two someplace.

And what’s with the entitled practice of the credit card machine asking for a tip at businesses that pay “normal” wages. Was it an extra special oil change? Or was my made-to-order sub sandwich enhanced in some way? We understand tipping waitstaff that receives less than minimum wage and goes out of their way. A 20% tip shows appreciation and does help compensate for a skewed system.

I don’t understand “service fees” when I buy a concert ticket online, no human involved. What service? Heck, they don’t mail a ticket or sometimes even give me the opportunity to print one. Heaven help anyone without a Smart Phone to download their stub.

Long ago I learned the value of personal attention and doing more than was anticipated, with no expectation of additional financial compensation. The pro side of professionalism. At our company we first provide solid answers to your questions and printed information so you can make the best choices. We handle your purchase with care, protecting your plants, your vehicle and making it easy as possible for you when you get home. We put a clean reusable plastic sheet down in your vehicle when we load bags of bark mulch. We tie up protruding branches and place a bag over the pot before loading your car. And if you like, we’ll style your hair, more or less.

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in New York State. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 315-468-1142 or jim@sollecito.com.