Misplaced Trust

Scales watched the activity at the green grocer's with mounting exasperation. He had loaned Grocer Hare 300,000 seeds because he was hoping that the hare would fail, so he could take over the business at half its market value.

"Dr. Scales, Dr. Scales!" Grocer Hare waved and then hopped to his side. "Look. Isn't this wonderful! At this rate, I will be able to pay you back your loan within the year."

"Yes, Grocer Hare, it is indeed excellent. You must tell me how you did it."

"Oh it was Snow Ears that helped me. Your assistant observed the activity in my shop and gave me very practical solutions. Good grief. I was on the verge of hiring more staff, but he stopped me because he said my shop will become overcrowded with workers and customers. He was right."

"Yes, your store looks efficient yet not overcrowded."

"You see, I changed the store policy by his recommendation. So now, instead of one staff to each customer, I now have one staff to one area. On top of that, I moved the high turnover items to the front, so that it will not become too crowded inside."

"Ah, well done Grocer Hare. I must also congratulate Snow Ears for his recommendations," Scales said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Grocer Hare tugged down one ear as he nervously rubbed it between his paws. "Your office was closed when he was here and he did it for me as a favor because I was in such desperate need for help."

"Well, you are lucky, my friend." Scales lowered his voice, "Not long ago, Snow Ears made a terrible mistake in one of his calculations for Mr. Goose. It was a good thing that Goose managed to sell off all his properties before the collapse happened, but you may not be so lucky if Snow Ears has again miscalculated."

Grocer Hare's eyes grew wide and his mouth gaped. After making a show of looking about him, and before slithering out of the store Scales said, "Ah, all is well with you."

Grocer Hare began to shiver and shake. Could Scales have been talking about Upper Valley Ridge? Did Snow Ears have anything to do with the market crash? He turned back to the store and studied every single activity. That rat is nibbling on a corn grain and those porcupine toddlers are playing around a sack of flour. Snow Ears was wrong. I must have one staff per customer to keep everything in order.

He went to the backroom and hunkered over the new store policy then called for a meeting after the store closed.

"I noticed a young rat nibbling on one of our corn," Grocer Hare said, after everyone had taken a seat.

The squirrel said, "He is not the only one. When I had my back turned, someone ripped open a bag of sugar and licked its contents."

Doormouse the accountant said, "The damage and losses so far this month has amounted to 500 seeds. We have never gone beyond the 120 seeds line before. This is a first."

Grocer Hare said, "I propose that we hire new people. I want to return to our old store policy of one staff per customer."

"We get at most ten customers at any one time," Chipmunk added.

Grocer Hare sighed. "We will need to renovate the store and widen it. There is barely any room now, even with just the four of us. Another six workers will suffocate us all."

Doormouse calculated the extra cost for the remainder of the year, which was a one time up-front fee of 200,000 seeds for renovation and seven months of six new workers at 2,000 seeds each per month.

Grocer Hare needed an extra 284 thousand seeds to consider into his cash flow. He decided that he was not ready to pay Scales back his 300,000 seeds yet.

Squirrel rubbed his tail over his face as he thought over the budget. If it would cost Grocer Hare so much extra by hiring new help, why won't he just find a way to handle the damaged goods. The rodent, however, decided to keep the thought to himself because he didn't want to sound like an idiot in front of the rest of his colleagues.

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