Shop makes delivery for competitor after catalytic converters stolen from delivery trucks

FARMINGTON, N.M. – Catalytic converters are a hot ticket item for thieves to steal, sometimes snatching them right out of the parking lots. And that’s what happened to one small business before they had to make an important delivery. 

It was just a normal Tuesday at Sleep-N-Aire.

“The delivery guys went to go load the truck up and when they started it, it sounded like a freight train, so they started our other truck, same thing,” Sleep-N-Aire Owner Phil Damron said.

That’s because both catalytic converters were cut.

“To get both trucks it’s kind of bad,  because we have deliveries, and items to deliver, and things to do – and now, we can’t do it,” said Damron. 

To make matters worse, their first delivery was urgent.

“The husband I think health wasn’t real good, and they need the bed pretty bad,” Damron said. “We called and let them know that maybe it might be afternoon, and they were like ‘Man, we really need it.’”

That’s when Damron, decided to phone a friend, who happens to own a competing mattress shop.

“(I) Got a phone call from Phil, and he was stating that his catalytic converters had gotten cut, and he was in a bind,” Owner of BedRooms Plus, Bryan Sledge said.

Damron said before he could even finish the story, Sledge was ready to help.

“He said ‘What can I do to help?’ and I said ‘Man, if there is any way, I really need to get this bed out,’” said Damron. 

Sledge said even with a tight schedule they were able to work it out.

“I was kind of worried at first because our guys were out on scheduled stuff, and it just worked out perfectly. They got back early I called Phil up I said ‘Hey they are ready now,’” he said. 

Within an hour, BedRooms Plus was going to make Sleep-N-Aires first delivery of the day.

“I called her back and said Hey, my buddy at BedRooms Plus is going to deliver that for me’ and she’s like ‘What?’ It’s just kind of funny, and I said ‘Yeah, we help each other out,’” Damron said. 

Because that’s what neighbors do.

“We do compete in selling the exact same products, but we are friends too, and friends foremost actually, and it was just second nature I didn’t think twice,” said Sledge. 

Since then, Sleep-N-Aire has one of its trucks back and running.