When I graduated from college in 1969, I wasn’t sure what
profession I should pursue. I had spent
a four year hitch in the Air Force during the 60’s and with my college years added
to that, I was thrust into a competitive
job market at age 28. Since I had worked
in some grocery stores as a kid, I decided to take advantage of an offer from
Lever Brothers Company to be a salesman calling on the grocery trade at the
headquarters and retail level.
My interview with Smitty, December, 2010.
That probably doesn’t sound too exciting but that early job
in the grocery business served a couple of good purposes: It gave me an opportunity to gain valuable
experience plus a good living as a peddler and more important, it gave me a chance to meet Clyde Smith, one
of the most savvy , intelligent, and nice guys I ever met. By the time I met Mr. Smith in 2010, I was
retired from selling but was writing stories on various subjects for the Arizona and Scottsdale Republic newspapers. However, any tips I would receive from readers
that pertained to grocery stores always gained my attention first.
The grocery trade is one that stays in one’s system even
after they leave the business. Although
Mr. Smith’s “Smitty’s” markets were long gone from the Phoenix scene by 2010,
he was making, at age 91, a tour to promote his recently published book about
his life in the business. I bought the
book and quickly discovered that Smitty was not just another guy who happened
to have some accidental success selling groceries; Smitty was a genius and a
pioneering one at that.
From Mr. Smith’s example and my own experience calling on
the grocery trade, it was easy to understand how the business gets into one’s
blood. If Horatio Alger, the 19th
century author of many “rags to riches” stories, had been alive during Clyde
Smith’s lifetime, he would have had a perfect example of one of his heroes.
Born poor in Iowa in 1919, Smith worked in coal mines and
other low level jobs before, at age 17, he made his way to Ames, Iowa in
1936. Times were understandably tough as
the Great Depression was in its eighth year.
However, Clyde was still able to land a position at Rushing’s Market, a
small grocery store in the Ames area.
That job was the break of a lifetime and a distinct turning point in his
life. He caught on quickly and learned
all the basic aspects of the retail grocery trade. That experience combined with logic and a “go
for it” attitude served him well. By
1957, he was operating six Smitty’s stores in Iowa.
Smitty passing savings on coffee to customers
Smitty died recently
on January 3, 2016 at age 96. He was a
fine businessman, proudly served his country during World War II in the 1940’s,
and will be sorely missed by anyone fortunate enough to have met him.
