Unfiltered Story #217639

(As a member of a Dutch living history society, I am volunteering at a historical event in Belgium. One of us has a stand where she uses many different kinds of beads and other fancy parts to make great looking pendants, which she sells for a small price. At one point, she and her boyfriend are off to have lunch, and they ask me to keep an eye on their stuff. At one point, a man attends their stand and picks up a loose bead.)

Man: ‘Can I take this with me? Is that okay?’

Me: ‘Well, these cost money. They’re used to make those pendants here and one has to pay for those, so you’d have to pay for the bead as well.’

Man: ‘Yes, but I only want a bead.’

Me: ‘I understand, but you still would have to pay a little.’

Man: ‘What if I take it now and come back to pay later?’

Me: ‘Ehm… No?’

Man: ‘But I will pay later.’

Me: ‘No, we’re not doing that. Besides, the people in charge of this are off now. Would you be happy if you would trust your shop to someone and he would start to give stuff away for free? Or to costumers who claim to come back later?’

(Finally, the guy gives up, puts back the bead and leaves. Never saw him back. Bet I wouldn’t have seen him back if I had allowed him to “pay later”.)