The Bakery Plan

Beth and her friend Leo wanted to open a bakery. They started planning it two years earlier. Now they had to choose a shop, but they did not agree about many things. They wanted different places and different prices.

“I am not worried about the price,” Leo said. “I am worried because you never listen.” Beth looked at the papers. “Customers need to find us easily,” she answered. “But you wanted the cheaper street.”

They had two choices: a big shop on the main road and a smaller one near the university. Neither was perfect. Both were expensive, but the second was much cheaper than the first. “We argue a lot. We need to agree,” Leo sighed. “We aren’t so different,” Beth said. “We want the same thing.”

Just then, the phone rang. It was the owner of the main-road shop, who offered a lower price for the first three months. “We can’t say yes today,” Beth said. “First we have to look at the numbers.” Leo nodded.

They spent the evening with a pencil and a lot of paper. By midnight, neither of them was angry. They were surprised that their numbers were so similar. In the end, they chose the smaller shop because it gave them more than they expected: lower costs, regular students and a big window for the bread.