TLDR — The really nice guy at MEC fixed my running vest for free and called me over the intercom when it was ready. It was nice.
I went to MEC today to get my running vest fixed. The most wonderful technician fixed it, for free. The technician came to the front of the store, wearing blue plastic gloves and a mask. He listened to my request, shared his experience with similar repairs, and showed me what he was going to do. He spoke in a calm, gentle voice, reminiscent of the best medical bedside manner, and handled the dislocated strap like a dentist performing a final post-cleaning check.
Before he took my bag away he looked me in the eye and gathered my trust, “I’m not going to look inside, but I’m going to take the bag with me for a few minutes.” Then, with the glee of a co-conspirator, he said, “We have an intercom, it’s a bit dorky, but when the bag is done I’m going to come on and say, ‘the bag is ready, the bag is ready’. When you hear that, come meet me back here.” At this point, I’d have given him the keys to my car, apartment, and pin number if he’d asked, but instead, he walked away to fix my bag. When he came on the intercom, it was just as great as I expected. I made my way to the meet and collected my bag. I said, “thank you, I really appreciate it” and he said, “no, thank you.”
Beautiful.
Adam Fearnall 