Presence of Mind

A businessman went to a shoe store to purchase a new pair of shoes. He was a prominent person in that town. After selecting a pair of shoes with size 8 he asked the salesperson to pack it.  The salesperson had just started his career and joined the shoe store a few days back.

The businessman soon discovered that he had left his wallet at home. He told the salesperson that he would take the shoes with him and make the payment the next day. The salesperson being new to business excused himself in order to discuss this matter with the store manager.  The manager knew that the customer is an eminent businessman; however, was reluctant to deliver the shoes without payment. At the same time, he was not ready to lose a sale too. He advised the salesperson to handle the situation in the best manner possible and left the place.

The salesperson stood there frozen for few minutes unable to decide. He then returned to the customer, started packing the shoes and handed the package to the customer.

 The next day the customer arrived at the store with the shoes he had purchased, made the payment for his purchase and told the salesperson that "After opening the package I found one shoe with size 8 and the other with size 7.  Maybe you packed them by mistake. Can I have the shoes with size 8 please?"  The salesperson apologized for the inconvenience caused and replaced the wrong size shoe with the correct one. The customer collected his shoes and left the store with satisfaction.  

The manager happened to overhear their conversation and realized that the salesperson had used his presence of mind and handled the situation very well. They didn't lose their business as well as the customer.

Moral:

It is by presence of mind in untried emergencies that the native metal of a man is tested. If an individual has a calm state of mind, his attitude and views will be calm and tranquil even in the presence of great agitation.