Author: George Todorov
Tale of the Old Man and the Basket of Apples
Once upon a time the old trader Exer visited the store of the young Rhabbath for a cup of the nice tea his new friend offered. Exer could distinguish the good stock and since his arrival in town, he valued the black tea there as excelent. After they sat in the shadows over a cup of the aromatic drink, the young Rhabbath asked the trader:
- Exer, please tell me a nice story… you know many!
- Okay, young friend, with pleasure, if, of course, you want to listen…
When I was a child, I loved playing in the marketplace in our city. Many people, mamy goods, noise, laughter, yelling. Once on themarket came a young boy, a little elder than me. He stood on a table and put a basket full of apples on it.
- What are you doing? – I asked him, and he looked me and with a proud face answered:
- I am a trader. I sell apples, so if you want you can buy, but otherwise stay out of my way!
I was surprised. The boy was young as me, but already knew the secrets of trading. So I asked him about the cost of the apples.
- 2 gold coins – he answered. I did not have the money so I left.
I came back in the afternoon, when the merciless sun was already behind the hills. The boy was still on his stand and begged people to buy his apples. The apples were touched by the sun and had lost their fresh appearance, so they could hardly be sold. Then something really interesting happened. A very old man walked past us, stopped, looked at the stand, then the apples, then the boy, smiled and cheerfully asked:
- Isn’t it going well? – his eyes were laughing, but his voice was serious.
- No, it’s not! Nobody wants to buy them! I will lose my money.
- At what price did you buy them?
- 1 gold coin each!
- And what profit do you seek?
- 100%
- I see…so how much does it make?
- Well, 2 gold coins.
- Nice! If you can do the math, I will give you a problem to solve! If you offer me the same discount with the amounth with which you increased the price, I will take them. Do you agree?
- I agree! – jumped the boy, since he was tired of waiting for the profit.
- Okaaay, now let’s see! You bought the apples for 1 coin each, you put a profit of 100%, so 1 + 100% = 2, right? – the boy nodded and agreed, and the old man continued: – Now the cost 2 coins each, but you made a discount of 100% from the price, so 2 – 100% = 0, which means that I don’t have to pay anything.
With these words the old man took the basket and left. The boy, stunned by surprise, stood there and coulnd not say anything, becauuse in seconds he realized that the old man had cheated him. Then a woman shouted after the old man to return the basket and not be so cold-hearted with the boy. And he, without turning back, answered:
-Ooooh, no! Precisely because I am NOT cold-hearted, I will not give them back. Let him always remember that before learning the secrets of trading, he has to learn the secrets of digits and numbers.
The boy was actually my elder brother. He remembered these words and for years ahead he was the best math student, and after a couple more years he became the best trader in the upper lands. When asked how he learned to trade so well, he always answered:
- A basket of apples thaught me how to trade, just a basket of apples! – and he laughed out loud…
Business conclusion:
A sale without numbers or calculation does not exist! If we want to trade well, we have to do the math well. Simple and Clear!
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