This story is reported by South Dakota News Watch , a non-profit news organization. Find more in-depth reporting at www.sdnewswatch.org .
MITCHELL, S.D. (SDNW) – It’s a rare sight to see Tim Allen in the wood-paneled office space just off of Mitchell’s Main Street. Sitting behind the counter on a Monday in October, he calls a customer.
“This is Tim with Tobin’s. Guys should be there probably about 3:00, 3:30 to move the stuff out of the basement. Okay. Yep. Thank you. You bet. Bye.”
Allen, one of the owners of North American moving company Tobin Transfer, is usually on the road, driving cross-country with a semitrailer full of people’s possessions.
But this year is a presidential election year and without fail (2020 doesn’t count because of the pandemic), business slows down. His cross-country shipments are down 7% so far this year.
“This is about the stupidest year I’ve seen,” Allen says.
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And he’s seen a lot. Allen’s been in the business since he was 13 and started working full-time when his parents bought the company in 1978. His sister, Becky Riggs, was 14 when she started.