Mr. Woodruff was, at least in his own mind, a man of affairs and big business transactions. He was also exceedingly cheap and routinely stayed in dingy accommodations in order to save a few dollars.
One night at an economy motel, he ordered a 6 a.m. wake-up call. The next morning, Woodruff awoke before 6, but the phone did not ring until 6:30.
"Good morning," a young man said sheepishly. "This is your wake-up call."
Annoyed, Woodruff expressed his displeasure to the hotel worker.
"You were supposed to call me at 6! "What if I had a million-dollar deal to close this morning, and your oversight made me miss out on it?"
"Well, sir," the desk clerk quickly replied, "if you had a million-dollar deal to close, you wouldn't be staying in this motel ..."