You can also be sure that Ralph, good New Yorker that he is, knows EXACTLY how many donuts he's flogged and coffee cups he's filled each day and calculates exactly how honest his customers are. As soon as he starts getting the bad seeds on a regular basis, this routine will be finished!

Posted by: Charlie Richmond at November 5, 2003 01:44 PM

I for one appreciate such trust and honesty and tend to carry it further. I am more likely to simply walk away with my donut and leave the quarter change in this case, than if it was handed back to me. I guess I'm just weird like that, but I wouldn't be surprised if this method of doing business results in tips far exceeding any dishonesty.

Posted by: Two-Bits at April 10, 2004 04:35 AM

The only problem with this method is that it does not scale up - which is why that big business CEO wouldn't understand. As soon as the business grows to the point where he is not meeting his customers 1-to-1, both vendor and customer will lose their sense of ownership and personal accountability, and the technique will fall apart.

Of course, this is not a problem for Donut Guy, who is just trying to make an honest living.

Posted by: DavesBrain at April 16, 2004 11:41 AM