Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You offer to pay second-hand value for the dress.
The bride comes into the store and you try to explain the situation to her -- that the filter blew up and it was a freak accident -- but explanations mean very little to her at this point.
You tell her you will give her the amount she paid for her dress. But since she got it second-hand and had to look for months to find a dress in her price range, your offer isn't much comfort.
The bride leaves the store with the $400 and she's not happy. Because there are only three days until the wedding, she ends up having to spend twice the money to get a dress she likes only half as much. She's not a very happy bride and many of the guests at the wedding find out why.
"Technically, I was only responsible for the value of the dress -- $400," says drycleaner Darcy Moen. "It's never easy deciding what is the right thing to do, but in this business, sometimes it's better business to go with your heart instead of your head and your pocketbook."
Overall, drycleaners must have good decision-making skills. "We have to determine when a garment comes in whether it is drycleanable or not, what the risks involved are," says Janet Winters. She owns a drycleaning company.