Illustration: Do It Yourself, Repair

When the type on his printer began to grow faint, Bob called a local repair shop where a friendly clerk informed him the printer probably needed only to be cleaned. Because the store charged $50 for such cleanings, he told Bob he might be better off reading the printer's manual and trying the job himself.

Pleasantly surprised by his candor, Bob asked, "Does your boss know that you discourage business?"

"Actually, it's my boss' idea," the employee replied sheepishly. "We usually make more money on repairs if we let people try to fix things themselves first."