Three Orders

Salma worked in a neighborhood bakery. On Friday afternoon, three customers ordered cakes for Saturday. Each cake had a white card with a name, a pickup time, and a short description. Salma placed the finished cakes on separate shelves in the cold room. One was round and yellow, one was square and brown, and one was white with small orange flowers.

A Card on the Floor

The next morning, Salma found one order card on the floor. It said “Ravi, eleven o’clock,” but it did not describe the cake. She checked the shelves. Two cakes still had cards, but the white cake with orange flowers had no name. Salma thought it was probably Ravi’s cake. However, she did not want to guess when a customer had paid for a special order.

Questions at the Counter

Ravi arrived at eleven and showed his receipt. Salma explained that his card had fallen. She asked what shape, color, and message he had chosen. Ravi said the cake was round, not square. It had light yellow cream and the words “Welcome Home, Mira.” His answers described the yellow cake, but that cake already had another customer’s card beside it.

The Cards Were Switched

Salma read the card beside the yellow cake. It described a white cake with orange flowers. During the busy evening, someone had put that card on the wrong shelf. Salma checked both receipts and corrected the two cards. Ravi opened the yellow cake box just enough to read the message. “Welcome Home, Mira” was written clearly across the top.

A Better System

Ravi thanked Salma for asking instead of guessing. After he left, Salma changed the shelf system. Each card now went inside a clear holder attached to the shelf. The cake box also received a small label with the order number. When the next customer arrived, Salma matched the receipt, box label, and card. All three pieces of information agreed.