A Remembrance

Remembering back, in my early days of travelling, from state to state, to gauge the operational functions. Early days, where there was some travel with an expense account and a company car.
Working for a large corporation. Those days, long gone. The company no longer here.
I was the District Manager, for the Catalog Sales Division of Sears Roebuck. My area was the State of Oregon.
We lived, my wife and two children and I, in Vancouver WA. I had two stores in the immediate area. Hazel Dell and Camas. I also had stores in Oregon at St Helens, Astoria, Tillamook, Newport, North Bend, Coos Bay, Brookings, Grants Pass, Roseburg, Corvallis, Gresham, Hillsboro, The Dalles, Bend, Madras, Prineville, Hermiston, Pendleton, Ontario and Baker.
Every Monday, I would call the stores to receive sales information, sales per hour, returns and to discuss advertising or other operational issues.
Monday night or Tuesday morning. I would load my suitcase into the car and head out to one of my locations, depending on specific issues or concerns.
Our primary role in the Catalog Sales Offices, (CSO) was to sell appliances, tires batteries from our store inventory and order, soft line, aka, clothing, bedding, et al. We had commissioned sales staff who would sell cabinets, carpet, fencing and other "Big ticket" items. The function of Installed Home Improvement, or IHI that was for installation by our contractors. Our in house joke was IHI, "It's Here, Incomplete."
There were some great days with my Managers.
My goal was to make them an independent operation and to call me only if there was an issue to discuss. I would explain to them, "No Surprises." Tell me before the news hit the Regional Office. I would receive calls from my boss, on occasion, if I had approved advertising, over budget at a specific office. My mode was if I received a call from my boss was to acknowledge that I had approved and then call the offending Manager and discuss how the "No Surprises" was supposed to work.
I had great Managers, who did, for the most part, operate as Independents. I miss those days and the friendships I had made. Working at Sears was a great experience and prepared me for many jobs opportunities.