Scrooge Lives In Squamish, BC

On a climbing trip to Squamish with a bunch of kids this weekend, we decided to take a break from bouldering to hit the town with a group-game called "Bigger or Better". The object is to start with a small item (e.g. a toothpick) and trade up for something bigger or better at a local business. "Good afternoon. We are with the Pacific Northwest Climbing Club and we are playing a game called Bigger or Better. We have this toothpick. Would you like to trade us this toothpick for something bigger or better?" At the end of this Boys vs Girls challenge, they compare the final item and declare a winner.

The girls blew away the boys, ending up with really nice stainless steel mugs for EACH girl, courtesy of a ridiculously generous and spirited small-store owner.

But the story isn't about the winner, but the loser. As in, the LOSER hardware-store owner who immediately adopted a strange, defensive posture and literally asked a 9 yr-old if he had DOCUMENTATION, then added, with a nervous twitch, that he doesn't "do things like that." Yeah, cuz giving a group of little boys a free paper bag or a box from recycling in exchange for the sweet flashlight they were trading was such an imposition. Guess customer service and general goodwill aren't in his business plan. Which explains all of TWO customers in his store on Sunday at noon, while the parking lot at Home Depot was jam-packed, in a town that covets its small, independent businesses. Sad. Some business owners get it, and some obviously don't.