Recently I was faced with a situation, that on the surface seemed quite superficial, but in fact was far more complex. One which gave deep insight to human character as well as an opportunity to look at how important adding value really is.

A few days ago I was patronizing a local country mom and pops convenience store, one that I have been to many times before. Because, I believe it is important to support local business when possible even if the price is a bit higher than that which major corporate entities offer. But lest I digress, I will get back to the heart of the matter.

I needed gas for my vehicle so I pulled up to the pump inserted my check card and filled my tank, nothing unusual in that. When I had finished I went inside and bought a few small items paying cash.

As I was looking for a pack of chewing gum, I noticed the shelves appeared to be a bit more bare than they were the last time I frequented this particular store. Times are tough, and I thought perhaps, they had just reduced their inventory to the items they knew were selling. At the time, I really did not give it much more thought than that.

It was not until I reviewed my bank transactions that I noticed a discrepancy. The transaction for that purchase only showed a one dollar debit, when in fact I had received 10 gallons of gas, which according to the receipt was 26 dollars and some change.

At first I felt like doing the safety dance ...WOW... maybe I won some free gas, then I remembered those bare shelves and wondered if perhaps they had a problem they were not aware of. After all my receipt had the correct amount on it and no alarms went off inside the store alerting a drive off. Could it be they were losing money from a glitch in the system and no one wanted to inform them that they were basically giving away  free gas?

I talked to a few folks about this and asked how they would react in a similar situation, just to gauge the general consensus. As one can surmise most said something to the effect of, be glad with the price of gas today it would be a welcome break, consider yourself lucky. A cynical point of view I know, but I could understand why.

At this point you may be wondering what the heck does any of this have to do with adding value and how does this relate to internet marketing?

If you bare with me just a bit longer perhaps, it will all become clear.

I went to the store and informed them of what happened and that even though it was not my fault I needed to make it right. To be honest at this point I do not know if it was a problem with their computer system and I may never know. That is not what is important here. What is important is the smiles that beamed across their faces when I brought this to their attention.

I was left with the impression I had done something that benefited them they would not forget. And just as importantly, I felt good about doing something that not only added value to their business, but to my self esteem as well.

In my humble opinion this is new the direction internet marketing is taking, one where ethics are paramount and honor is regained.

Good people are tired of the hyped up hoopla, self serving attitudes and "I got mine mentality", can you blame them? Google stresses this point, reminding us of the business ethic we should all be practicing. 

I believe, the demand for personal integrity and honest value is a long needed and welcomed change to to the face of internet marketing.

I feel I can safely say those who have been practicing this all along are now  breathing a sigh of relief in air of excitement.

UPDATE:

For those who were curious as to the outcome of this story, it turns out it was the work of a thief inside the store. One who is not feeling so smart about now I am sure.