Real-Life Decision Making
As an antique dealer and part owner of your store, you are busy every day
keeping track of inventory, attending auctions, keeping track of the company
budget and dealing with customers. Customers come into the store with different
purposes. Some want to buy certain antiques, while others come in to sell
their pieces. As an antique dealer, you try to learn about the history of
each item that comes into the store. Doing this allows you to learn about
the item as well as its worth in the market.
As the owner of one of the oldest and largest antique stores in the city,
you deal with many people. One day, you notice a young man pacing back and
forth outside your store. He looks confused and bothered.
He finally reaches your counter, still with his head down. You wait in
anticipation.
You soon learn that this young man recently lost his beloved grandfather.
Before his grandfather passed away, he gave him this beautiful antique pocket
watch. The young man needed money to pay for his tuition, and his grandfather
gave him this watch just in case he needed money to pay for his education.
Stunned by the beauty of the watch, it's a few moments before you can
finally decide on a fair price to give this young man.
The deal is made, but the man's eyes are glued to the pocket watch
that once belonged to his grandfather. After a moment, he clutches his fist,
with the money in his hand, and walks out of your store.
A few hours later, one of your top clients comes into your store and buys
the pocket watch the young man brought in.
The next day, the same young man comes charging in through the door of
your store. He runs to the counter and reaches into his jacket pocket to grab
something. It's a scholarship letter rewarding him full coverage of his
school tuition. The young man takes the same crisp dollar bills you gave him
yesterday, places them on your counter, and asks for his watch back.
You tell him that the watch has already been sold, and the news wipes the
smile off his face within seconds. The young man is desperate. He is begging
anxiously, pleading for your help to get his watch back. However, one rule
of your success is never to break the trust between you and your clients.
Still, you feel bad for the boy. What should you do?