Commentary
It's people who make the difference
By Linda Tagawa
Special to The Advertiser
I knew my car tires were worn and wanted to get them checked before New Year, so I called Donna's old shop and learned she was no longer there. She recently became the manager of the new Goodyear station in Waipahu, a sleepy old plantation town, a blink-of-an-eye between Pearl City and 'Ewa Beach. Donna always took good care of me, so I made my way through traffic, school kids, buses and found the tiny shop tightly sandwiched between a Jack In The Box and a Times Supermarket.
I entered the shop and saw her laughing and chatting with a customer. The place was much smaller than the other one. Two white-haired old men sat against the drab wall dozing. There was no TV or steaming coffee pot like they had at the other shop. In fact, there were no magazines or bottled water like at her other shop! "Looks like there ain't none of that stuff here!" I thought.
I was still checking out the office when I heard, "Hey, Miss Linda!" Donna scooted around the counter and wrapped her arms around me as though we were two long-lost buddies. We caught up on stuff, then she took me on a tour of the shop.
"This place looks kinda old, Donna," I said as we climbed the creaky, old stairs to her office.
"Yup, four generations old!" she replied. "It was run and owned by the Nishioka family until Goodyear recently purchased it. In fact, Saxon, who works at the front counter, was the last owner, and this was his office." It certainly had that executive look to it with the wall-to-wall wood paneling surrounding the huge desk.
"So how you like your new shop?" I asked.
"I love it!"
"Hmmm!" Again, I thought of all the things the other shop had that this one didn't. Besides the coffee pot, TV and bottled water, the other shop was a lot bigger and brighter. It was roomy and there were a lot more workers, hydraulic lifts and machines.
"When I came here everyone welcomed me with open arms," she continued. "All of the customers were used to the old management, so I had to learn to slow down. That meant also talking much slower."
Something was different about Donna. I couldn't quite put my finger on it so I asked, "So what's different here?"
She beamed from ear to ear, "It's the people! They're awesome! They treat me royally and each customer with honesty and integrity. Oh! And the customers are so appreciative. They bring bags of backyard mangoes and avocados, homemade cookies and jams. It's wonderful. I feel as though I learn more about life from my staff and customers than they have from me. ...
"You know, every day I wake up in the morning filled with joy, eager to start a new day. I never drag myself out of the house. It's a blessing to work with people who treat one another with utmost respect."
We made our way down the stairs back to the front of the shop. Donna strode over to the counter to help a customer. "Hi Reggie! Everything settled down yet?" I noticed that all the customers were greeted by name, as though they had known each other for a long time. They chatted about their homes and family before talking business. They were sincerely interested in their customers' lives. It just seemed to be the normal way things went over there.
I wandered outside into the bay area where the cars were being fixed and was surprised to see Saxon in his white-sleeved shirt busily taking the tires off Reggie's rims.
That's when I understood what Donna was telling me. Everyone helped out. Even the former owner of this shop wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty! I realized that it's not how nice the office looks, nor is it the coffee pot or TV. It really was about the people, not the exterior, but what was inside people that counted. And then I knew why Donna loved her job.
Linda Tagawa's column will now appear on the first Sunday of each month.
