Generous Trust 
A public holiday was fast approaching and the owner of a hardware store, in the UK, was concerned how best he could serve his many loyal customers. He had a challenging situation. For the weekend leading up to a key holiday, when many folk would be shopping for gifts, he realised that he would not have sufficient staff to keep the store open all day. Should he close or was there another way?
Wrestling with this unique situation, he felt he must keep it open, even if no-one was there to supervise it. There was no other way. He had urgent business elsewhere. So he went ahead, drafted some special notices explaining the situation, opened the store and left it without anyone in charge. What generous trust he invested in the local community. What would he find on his return to close up the store in the evening?
Amazingly he found everything in order, many good sales with people leaving their payment in a box for him and even some special "tokens of appreciation" from very satisfied customers. Nothing had been stolen or damaged. This was a tremendous testimonial for that local community and for the client/management relationship that had been built up over the years.
Generous trust had been honoured to the full…..
[As reported in the UK Press]
There are similar examples internationally. In Vanuatu, part of the South Pacific Islands, there are "honesty markets" where all the fresh products such as fruit and vegetables are placed on tables for customers to explore. Payment is made through the cash box left there in the market. It is a refreshing oasis of trust.
Maybe you know about others too.....
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