“You’re in luck, miss, we did have one here, but it’s an open-box item,” he said.  He laid the camera on the glass shelf Bette was leaning against.

“If you want it, I can sell it to you below the actual price,” he added.

Bette examined the camera, checking on the features, taking a few experimental shots, and viewing these on the built in screen.  Everything seemed to be working.

“Why was this an open-box item?,” she asked curiously, as she continued to examine the camera’s body and lens for any signs of damage.

The manager exhaled, frowning a bit, “Honestly, I think the woman who bought it didn’t know how to use it, so she returned it when she connected through this airport on her return flight.”

Bette nodded her understanding – it was a plausible scenario.  She was still hesitating to get it, though.  She checked her watch.  “What time do you think the delivery from your downtown store will be here?, she asked.

“I think around 5,” the store manager responded, adding, “that’s to allow for various security checks and everything.  So…yes…I think around 5, “ he repeated.

Bette pursed her lips. Their flight was scheduled to depart at 1:20 pm, and so there was no chance that she’d be able to wait for another camera to be brought in with that delivery run.

The store manager watched her handle the camera, obviously well used to it, and understood her dilemma.

So he offered, “Look, why don’t you just pay me a third of the price on the tag, and if you like it, when you next get here, you can pay me another third of the price.  Or you can return it, if you don’t want it, and I’ll give you back what you paid.”

Bette smiled:  he really didn’t need to offer this, and was being quite accommodating, she thought.  She offered her hand to shake on their agreement.   They chatted amiably as he rang her up, waving away her protestations when he threw in a camera bag into the shopping bag.  He asked for her boarding pass to write the info on her receipt, as was the custom in other stores in the airport.

“I’ll be sure to stop by, on our way back,” Bette said, returning his wave as she walked back to the lounge, where Tina was getting a massage.