Some of the younger members on my team have been incessantly bitching about how “hard” things are post covid- people working from home and not getting information “instantly”, Zoom audio not always clear, etc. Oh the horrors!!!!!
Made me want to laugh and tell them about.....
Waiting in line at a bank of pay phones when a conference or trade show let out to call in and get messages. Then, making return calls from a hotel phone with a calling card.
Pulling off the road to call in an order or check in with the office from a corner pay phone is the rain, heat, or cold.
Having to use USPS to mail quotes to a customer and then wait for them to mail back a purchase order.
Having a corresponding secretary and a dictaphone to create correspondence.
Keeping track of long distance calls and cost accounting for them on an invoice when the order was urgent and actually required ***gasp**** phone calls to the factory or a vendor when mailed inquiries weren’t fast enough.
Delivering massive catalogs and manuals by hand or mail to customers and manually updating them with any changes throughout the year(s)
Thermal fax paper curling and discoloring and still thinking it was groundbreaking new age business technology
Asking for (or vetting to whom you gave) your 800#
Tri-part message pads and life before post-it notes.
When expedited delivery meant taking a box to the station and putting it on a bus since there was no FedEx or UPS 1-2 day delivery.
I’m sorry someone didn’t respond to an IM for 20 minutes or there was an echo on your Zoom...... now get off my lawn.