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Antique Dealer

Real-Life Activities

Real-Life Decision Making

As an antique dealer and part owner of your store, you are busy every day keeping track of inventory, attending auctions, keeping track of the company budget and dealing with customers. Customers come into the store with different purposes. Some want to buy certain antiques, while others come in to sell their pieces. As an antique dealer, you try to learn about the history of each item that comes into the store. Doing this allows you to learn about the item as well as its worth in the market.

As the owner of one of the oldest and largest antique stores in the city, you deal with many people. One day, you notice a young man pacing back and forth outside your store. He looks confused and bothered.

He finally reaches your counter, still with his head down. You wait in anticipation.

You soon learn that this young man recently lost his beloved grandfather. Before his grandfather passed away, he gave him this beautiful antique pocket watch. The young man needed money to pay for his tuition, and his grandfather gave him this watch just in case he needed money to pay for his education. Stunned by the beauty of the watch, it's a few moments before you can finally decide on a fair price to give this young man.

The deal is made, but the man's eyes are glued to the pocket watch that once belonged to his grandfather. After a moment, he clutches his fist, with the money in his hand, and walks out of your store.

A few hours later, one of your top clients comes into your store and buys the pocket watch the young man brought in.

The next day, the same young man comes charging in through the door of your store. He runs to the counter and reaches into his jacket pocket to grab something. It's a scholarship letter rewarding him full coverage of his school tuition. The young man takes the same crisp dollar bills you gave him yesterday, places them on your counter, and asks for his watch back.

You tell him that the watch has already been sold, and the news wipes the smile off his face within seconds. The young man is desperate. He is begging anxiously, pleading for your help to get his watch back. However, one rule of your success is never to break the trust between you and your clients. Still, you feel bad for the boy. What should you do?

Contact

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    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

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