Throwback: Work Was “Real” Work

When Tom described the work he did in his early career, the word that came to mind for all of us was “manual.” There were no forklifts, no warehouse stickers, no fancy equipment, just two-wheelers, human muscle, and a whole lot of grit. Back then, if you were unloading a truck, you were picking up 100-pound bags of potatoes, one at a time, and wheeling them in on hard rubber tires. “Weight was no issue,” Tom said. “Whatever it weighed, you picked it up and put it in.” Shirley added: “You didn’t go to the gym… you didn’t have to. The job was the gym.”

Life on the farm wasn’t any easier: Shirley recalled feeding chickens morning and night, hating every moment of it, and coping without coaches, machines, or YouTube tutorials. If something broke, you figured it out. Questions didn’t get answered by a simple Google search, but usually by trial, error, and some phone book digging.

Modern conveniences like forklifts, commercial dishwashers, or prepackaged produce were game-changing. Kim laughed recalling how she “hated doing the potatoes” at her first store and how hand-washing dishes used to take the better part of a day, until commercial dishwashers whittled it down to minutes.

It’s no wonder people were a lot more physically fit back then, work was their workout.

“It’s Not Easier, Just Different”

The nature of work didn’t just move from hard labor to convenience, it became more complex in other ways. Yes, unloading trucks and checking inventory is faster now, but the bookwork, payroll, and inventory were once entirely handwritten, mailed to a bookkeeper, and tallied “with big sheets of paper.” Kim reminded us that, in produce and meat, figuring out your pricing meant calculating the waste, margin, and volume, all without a computer. You had to be good at math, running a 10-key calculator (which, trust me, we still keep handy).

So, while the physical side is less demanding, there’s a new kind of complexity to business: learning new technology, adapting to systems, and keeping pace with the relentless speed of change.

Customer Loyalty: From Community to Convenience

If running a business has changed a lot, customers have changed even more. Back in the day, our stores were community centers. Tom recalled, “we knew probably 90% of our customers by first name.” People were loyal. Many shopped exclusively at one neighborhood store, and you definitely knew if little Timmy was sent by his mom to buy her favorite brand of cigarettes (yes, with a handwritten note).

Customers expected (and wanted) to chat. For some, grocery shopping was their primary social event of the week. Shirley joked that before McDonald’s became the gathering place, it was the store clerk who filled that role.

But fast forward to today, and convenience often trumps loyalty or connection. Kim and I notice more people sending Doordash or UberEats, not just for a meal, but for routine family dinners. A 25-pound bag of flour now lasts a year instead of a week because grandma isn’t baking bread for a dozen kids three times a day. Shoppers want speed, self-checkout, and delivery.

Some Things Stay the Same and Others Get More Intense

Despite all the changes, people still love a deal. “Low prices” are a constant, but the definition has sure moved with the times. Yet, something else has happened: the intensity of interactions has gone up. Kim and I have both noticed that in the rare case something goes wrong, customers are much quicker today to get upset and more vocal about it. The highs and lows of customer feedback have gotten sharper.

And yet, after Covid, people are starting to crave connection again. We make a point of remembering regulars by name (or at least their “usual” order.) The need for a real, human connection is more important than ever.

Technology: The Modern Expectation

One shift I can’t ignore is customer expectation around technology. People want credit card payments to work seamlessly, expect online ordering, and take self-checkout for granted. Those “old-fashioned” experiences are more a nostalgia trip than a business norm.

Keep Evolving

What’s clear, after all these decades, is that businesses have to keep evolving. If you don’t adapt, you’ll get left behind. You need to know your people, know your times, and above all, cherish the connection and stories that make service meaningful. While a lot has changed, our core work, serving people, remains the heart of what we do.

Want to hear more real stories and tips for running multiple businesses? Listen to Episode 73 of the Mixing Family and Business Podcast right here or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. Also make sure to check out our other blogs on our website! Have your own thoughts or stories to share? Reach out at brian@mixingfamilyandbusiness.com we’d love to hear from you!

Ever wondered how much WORK has changed through the years?

This week's episode of Mixing Family and Business takes you from the days of 100-pound bags of potatoes, hand-written payroll, and chatting with your grocer every week… to self-checkouts, DoorDash deliveries, and a whole lot more convenience (but maybe a little less connection?).

Tom remembers unloading trucks piece by piece with a two-wheeler, Kim recalls bagging potatoes and trimming lettuce by hand, and Shirley says no one needed the gym, work was the workout!

Whether you miss the “slow lane” days of visiting at the checkout or love the shortcut of tech, you’ll get a kick out of these stories!

What’s the biggest change YOU’VE seen in how we work and shop? Drop your stories below!

Listen to episode 73 here!

Make sure to check out our full blog where we cover all the details!