Bob CollinsHow would this idea work in your neighborhood?
In Valley City, North Dakota, the Vault is getting its share of national exposure this week because it doesn’t have a barista. It doesn’t have any employees. It operates on the honor system, the Fargo Forum reports.
The attention started with a single TV report a week ago.
“I think it all just comes down to the kind of people,” David Brekke, who owns the shop said. “I think it would work in any place that has a tight-knit community of morally minded people.”
He says the national media has missed the point by focusing on the honor system and not the type of resident who lives in his city.
When he gets ripped off, it’s usually teenagers stealing pop, he says. But he doesn’t call the cops. He just shows them surveillance video.
“Teenagers have also been some of our best customers,” he said. “They generally pay very honestly, and sometimes they even pay extra to make up for their stealing friends.”
The main problem is the business loses money.
