one of the things i remember from childhood is my parents sending my lil sis and i to a neighbor’s apt for a cup of sugar, cigarettes or other small items. we’d also run errands down to the corner store to get things on credit. i was too young to know what credit meant but i’d hand the note to mr. jimmy behind the counter and he’d give me a bag of whatever was on the list then he’d scribble into his ledger and off i went. people were so much friendlier back then and i guess it’s because you kept the same neighbors for many years.