A young shop clerk in Suzhou, China, accidentally broke jade bangles worth over ₹1.16 crore, but the owner chose kindness over asking for compensation.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the incident happened in October at a jewellery shop in Jiangsu province and was caught on the store’s surveillance camera.
While moving a table, the clerk accidentally knocked over a box containing 50 jade bangles. The loud crash startled everyone, and the clerk tried to collect the pieces. Realising most of the bangles were beyond repair, he sat down feeling helpless.
The shop owner, Mr Cheng, said more than 30 of the jade bangles were completely shattered, leading to a loss of over one million yuan. The bangles were Russian nephrites, known for their clarity and rarity, and were not insured.
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Owner turns accident into a lesson:
Despite the accident, Cheng did not ask the clerk to pay for the damage. He told the young man, “It was my request, along with a customer’s, to move the table. The clerk acted carelessly, as inexperienced and a bit rash young people sometimes do.”
{{/usCountry}}Despite the accident, Cheng did not ask the clerk to pay for the damage. He told the young man, “It was my request, along with a customer’s, to move the table. The clerk acted carelessly, as inexperienced and a bit rash young people sometimes do.”
{{/usCountry}}Cheng added that young people deserve more chances and hoped the incident would serve as a learning experience. The broken bangles will be displayed in the store as a reminder for staff.
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The clerk, a recent university graduate who had only been working for a few months, said he felt scared and anxious while picking up the pieces. He expressed gratitude for the owner’s understanding.
The incident has been widely praised online, with many highlighting it as a rare example of patience, understanding, and kindness in the workplace.