The Green Sheet Online Edition
October 26, 2026 • 26:10:02
Be part of the fun
The bakery window has sprouted cobwebs. A skeleton is seated in the barber's chair. At the hardware store, someone has given a scarecrow a tool belt and a surprisingly convincing grin. Halloween gives familiar places a different look. Behind those decorations are people who took a little time to make their neighbors smile. And with the holiday just days away, there's still time to join them.
As ISOs and merchant level salespeople, you help merchants navigate challenges, keep transactions flowing and prepare for busy seasons. You know the work that goes into keeping a business running. This week, consider taking a moment to enjoy what your merchants have created.
Stop by a decorated shop. Compliment the window display. Ask who dreamed up the costumes. There may be a good story behind that scarecrow, or a friendly disagreement over whose turn it was to untangle the orange lights.
If a merchant is welcoming neighborhood trick-or-treaters, perhaps you can bring your children or grandchildren by. Buy a cookie, browse a shelf or simply exchange greetings. If you're already there and the candy bowl is running low, offering to replenish it might make someone's afternoon.
A photo shared with permission can spread the enjoyment, too. Let your neighbors know about the inventive display around the corner or the shopkeeper who has somehow managed to work all day wearing enormous butterfly wings.
You don't have to celebrate Halloween yourself to appreciate the pleasure others take in it. Curiosity, warmth and a willingness to share someone else's enthusiasm can open a conversation that has nothing to do with the next transaction.
For merchants, these encounters are part of belonging to a neighborhood. A child remembers the funny costume. A parent recognizes a welcoming face. Someone who usually walks past pauses long enough to say hello.
You belong to that community, too. Your work connects you to people whose businesses give a street its character and neighbors reasons to gather. So, if the opportunity comes, linger a little. Admire the pumpkin. Laugh at the terrible ghost joke. You help merchants keep business moving. You can also share in the fun. 
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