Unmanned flower shop sells a story of honesty
Source: Xinhua |
March 21, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN unmanned flower shop in east China that uses a piggy bank to collect money hopes its success can buoy people's faith in the honesty and goodness of people.
About 200 potted plants, flowers and cacti are on display at the flower stall in Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University with a placard asking buyers to put the money into a blue piggy bank.
Liu Haisheng, the owner and a graduate of the university, said the store had sold over 20,000 pots and he had never been short-changed.
Liu opened the shop last year to raise cash for his tuition fees. A junior at the time, he often left the stall unattended while attending classes.
"Once, I received a message from a student who wanted to buy flowers. I was in the middle of a class, so I asked him to pick up whatever he liked and leave the money somewhere. When I returned, I found the money tucked under one of the pots," Liu said.
He then adopted a self-help management technique in which he collects the money from the piggy bank two or three times a week.
"Sometimes, I find more money left in the piggy bank. Some customers leave 10 yuan (US$1.61) for flowers priced at 9 yuan and do not worry about the change," Liu said.
Liu has now expanded his self-service flower business to six stalls in two universities in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, and has plans to open more off-campus shops in the future.
He hopes his experience can boost people's confidence, fraught with fraud, plagiarism and other dishonest behavior.
Sociologists say China's ruthless pursuit of prosperity and a lack of punitive laws have resulted in moral decay, which has been evidenced by a spate of food safety scandals, tourist price gauging and legal disputes in which tumbled elders have framed their helpers into paying medical fees.
These cases, they say, have further dampened people's faith in society.
Liu's story has stirred mixed reactions online. While some have praised the honest acts of Liu's customers and the trust he has put in them, others have shown concern that such commercial prowess would flounder off-campus.
"The customers are well-educated college students. If it opened on the street, I guess even the piggy bank would be filched," commented one microblogger on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter.
Critics, however, may be surprised to learn that self-service businesses are thriving elsewhere in China.
A self-help vegetable stand on Guling Mountain in suburban Fuzhou has reported no instances of short-changing or theft in the four months of operation since it opened.
About 200 potted plants, flowers and cacti are on display at the flower stall in Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University with a placard asking buyers to put the money into a blue piggy bank.
Liu Haisheng, the owner and a graduate of the university, said the store had sold over 20,000 pots and he had never been short-changed.
Liu opened the shop last year to raise cash for his tuition fees. A junior at the time, he often left the stall unattended while attending classes.
"Once, I received a message from a student who wanted to buy flowers. I was in the middle of a class, so I asked him to pick up whatever he liked and leave the money somewhere. When I returned, I found the money tucked under one of the pots," Liu said.
He then adopted a self-help management technique in which he collects the money from the piggy bank two or three times a week.
"Sometimes, I find more money left in the piggy bank. Some customers leave 10 yuan (US$1.61) for flowers priced at 9 yuan and do not worry about the change," Liu said.
Liu has now expanded his self-service flower business to six stalls in two universities in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province, and has plans to open more off-campus shops in the future.
He hopes his experience can boost people's confidence, fraught with fraud, plagiarism and other dishonest behavior.
Sociologists say China's ruthless pursuit of prosperity and a lack of punitive laws have resulted in moral decay, which has been evidenced by a spate of food safety scandals, tourist price gauging and legal disputes in which tumbled elders have framed their helpers into paying medical fees.
These cases, they say, have further dampened people's faith in society.
Liu's story has stirred mixed reactions online. While some have praised the honest acts of Liu's customers and the trust he has put in them, others have shown concern that such commercial prowess would flounder off-campus.
"The customers are well-educated college students. If it opened on the street, I guess even the piggy bank would be filched," commented one microblogger on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter.
Critics, however, may be surprised to learn that self-service businesses are thriving elsewhere in China.
A self-help vegetable stand on Guling Mountain in suburban Fuzhou has reported no instances of short-changing or theft in the four months of operation since it opened.
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