The Honor System - Perspectives from a Coffee Shop

I normally wouldn't write about Jack Handy type moments in life but I find the following situation intriguing and positive. I live in a large metropolitan area and work in downtown every morning on my way to work I stop at a certain independent shop for coffee. Since I get into the office relatively early I usually stop by at just before 7 a.m. this is a fairly large store that offers prepared foods, a salad bar, etc... At this time in the morning the staff is busy putting out food and making coffee (they serve 15 different types). Since most of the patrons at that time in the morning are there to pickup a coffee and know the specific prices of the various sizes and items they're purchasing and the store shifts into a mode that seems to represent "the Honor System". By this I mean usually a mound of change begins to form on one of the counters at the back since the cash registers are near the front of the store and the staff is preoccupied. Since each transaction is usually $1 to $2 a pile of money quickly builds on this counter - basically patrons make their own change and settle up. In watching this procedure for a number of months interestingly I haven't seen one person either: leave with product without paying, and/or short change the store.

It's nice to think that even in a large sometimes anonymous city that a system like this actually exists and operates. Maybe things aren't as screwed up as the news makes out and there is more good around you than you realize if you only take time to look for it.

Send me any similar situations and I'll add them to this post.