The new goodbye

Several years ago I was working with a co-manager on email and website policies.  As I was explaining the process of getting a response to a mass email that says "unsubscribe" or "remove me from your mailing list", the co-manager, a very caring and talkative person, asked if it would be nice if we then sent another email, thanking them for following along for the time that they did, and if they ever needed [our fitness studio] in the future, not to hesitate contacting us.
It's a funny story to re-tell, and at the time I just laughed and said no, that would be annoying. They want off the list. They just aren't that into us. They moved. Whatever. They said no more communication, so no more. But, still, years later, each time I send out an email newsletter and receive the inevitable handful of "remove me" responses...I have to wonder. Do they maybe want to hear a good-bye? I manage a small studio and it isn't in our budget to use one of the programs that does automatically remove people. So it is me, going to the contact list, painfully removing the person that I could have taught to scoop, stand tall, and be strong. Or maybe they never came in and just filled out a slip at a health fair. It is hard to say. And I will more than likely never add the final good-bye email. But it is something I think about. In our fast-paced, quick-decision lives, maybe we should be a little more caring. 

Maybe good-bye should be more than just a click.