The All-Night Store

I lose the money by having the store stay open all night
No question about that
None at all

When I decided to go twenty-four hours
People told me the area wasn't right

Too suburban
Too quiet
Not the late-night shopping crowd

But I live in this area
I know these people
I knew an all night store was...necessary

Not because people need milk at 3am
Nobody does
Very few people need milk and don't already have it
That's been my experience anyway

People need plungers in the middle of the night
When the toilet clogs somehow
And they have work the next day
And suddenly it's like--

'Don't we have a plunger?  How the hell do we not have a plunger?'

So I always have a plunger ready to sell
And that's usually the only thing that ends up being bought
During the overnight shift

I started staying open all night
Because people need a place to go
When they need to think
When life gets...you know, when it's life

Nobody gets into an argument
At a convenient time
Nobody's worried about keeping their house
At a convenient time
Nobody just heard their kid sneak in on a school night
Through her bedroom window
At a convenient time

So now there's a place where they can go
To buy some extra milk
And just walk around some kindly-lit aisles
Consider buying cheap salsa
And a candy bar
And then sit in their car for a little while in the parking lot
And wonder whether or not they should go home
Or just keep driving
To Florida
Or wherever

That's why I have an all-night store
For those inconvenient moments

No, it doesn't fiscally benefit me in any way
But it helps my neighbors
And that's important

If you're a business owner
A small business owner
In a small town
It's not just about the business
It's about being a part of the community

Some nights nobody comes in the store
Between eleven and seven
But at least they know they can
At least they know it's there if they need it

We used to have church for stuff like that
But this is the new America
Churches have been replaced by the school supplies aisle
All those pretty notebooks
And fancy pens
Just waiting to be used

It comforts people

And comforting people who need it?
Well...

You can't put a price on that

You really can't