Exceptions?

At one time I worked in a small repair shop.  There came a day when the boss was at lunch, I was tending to a customer, and our other repairman was working on something or other.  An automobile horn began to blow outside.  I paid little attention to it.  As small amounts of time passed the horn became ever more insistent.  I ignored it.

The boss returned from lunch and asked why the car horn was tooting.  I told him I didn’t know as I was busy so he went outside to determine the cause of the noise.  He returned carrying a piece of equipment that the person wanted worked on.

Later in the day when things were a little less hectic he mentioned that I should have gone outside to find out why the car horn was blowing.  I once more told him I was busy, and even if I wasn’t I saw no need to go outside to bring work in.  If a customer wanted work done our usual policy was for them to bring it inside and leave it until we could get to it.  We then notified the customer when the repair was effected.  The boss then told me that it was a crippled lady that had brought the item, and she was unable to get out of the car, so it was a special occasion.

We then had a lively discussion as to the right and wrong of the situation.  The boss felt that we should make exceptions for those with special problems.  I maintained that our policy was for a customer to drag it in, and drag it out, and that no one should send a crippled person to do something they were incapable of doing.  I argued that an appliance sales would not wheel several washing machines out to a car in the parking lot so a crippled person could select from their wares.  A barber would not go out to an automobile to cut someone’s hair.  A taxi operator would not carry the person in and out of their home to his vehicle.  Why then would we be expected to do any different?

I always understood his reasoning, but I also always maintained we should keep the same policy for everybody.  I realize one should help the less fortunate as much as possible, but we were being taken advantage of in this manner.