We are open - just pay in the honesty box
See.......Trust and Honesty does pay.....Britain is not all bad........
A shopkeeper took a gamble on the honesty of festive shoppers by opening his store but leaving it unattended so that his staff could have Boxing Day off.
Tom Algie, 47, unlocked the doors of Practically Everything, his do-it-yourself shop in Settle, North Yorkshire, and put out a makeshift honesty box so that customers could help themselves. The only pressure to pay was a note attached to the box, made from a plastic funnel and a cereal box, wishing visitors a merry Christmas.
However, his first glance at the day's takings when he returned to the shop at 4.15pm on Boxing Day gave him concern that his confidence in the honesty of shoppers was misplaced. “I could only see one £5 note in the cereal box,” he said.
“However, the long tube was stuffed with notes and change and, after a bit of vigorous shaking, the day's takings spilt out on to the kitchen table.”
The total was £187.66. A stock check showed that nothing had been stolen. “I didn't think twice about leaving the shop open,” Mr Algie said. “Settle is a lovely quiet rural town and there's never any trouble here. I put my faith in my customers and I wasn't disappointed.”
He said he was touched by notes left by customers. One read: “Thanks, Tom. This is why we moved to Settle. This shop would have been cleaned out in two and a half minutes in Bolton.” Another customer wrote: “I've just come from the centre of Manchester. I forgot just how lovely Settle is. This has made my day.” Mr Algie said: “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I wanted to spend the holidays with my family but thought it would be nice to open the shop so this seemed like a good solution.”
“I think the honesty boils down to people coming to a nice market town in a great atmosphere and to enjoy themselves,” he said. “I think I would probably do it again, but I won't be publicising it in a big way. It was just a bit of fun for all those who joined in.
“It is nice to know there are a lot of good, honest people out there and not everything is all doom and gloom.”
Settle District is a bustling market town surrounded by delightful villages, ideally situated between the scenic Yorkshire Dales and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is the Forest of Bowland.
With a wealth of interesting shops, welcoming cafes and historic buildings Settle District is a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery. Alternatively its the perfect base to get out into the scenery and enjoy walking, riding, cycling, caving and a host of other outdoor activities.
wow dts cool brite,really liked it.just imagine if der is so much love and honesty der would not have been this bloodshed today.
got it :)
Great scenery though and some great pubs in the area..
nice one.. just goes to show that there's still honest people left in this world,... :)
Best thing to come out of Settle? The railway to Carlisle - You had to have been there to get this one ;o)
Did you Google it first?
"Just requires , trust, honesty and tolerance on the part of us all.."
guess it's too much to ask then.,
well, im always hopeful.
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call me ONE.
It can be done.. Just requires , trust, honesty and tolerance on the part of us all..
this kind of topic lightens up the atmosphere here in QL., so many hatred topics and unhealthy arguments the past few days.,
how i wish all towns/cities would be like Settle. :)
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call me ONE.
Heartwarming .....
Without diverting the thread - I talked to an old guy in Saudi regarding this aspect. He too remembered it as you say. He blamed the change on the influx of expatriates...
Two things, Alexa:
1. There'd be lots of notes saying "Sorry, only had a QR100 note.
2. There would definately be NO coins in there!!!
Tubelight .. it was still like that a year back.
Did you Google it first?
when i lived in Saudi, this used to be the case. people would walk out of their shops for prayers without even closing the doors. i dont know what it is like now in Saudi
Proof positive that people ARE essentially good at heart they just need an opportunity to show it .