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At first glance, this riddle seems like a complicated math problem. Many people start adding and subtracting numbers repeatedly, only to end up with different answers. Some say the store lost $30, others insist it lost $100, and a surprising number of people argue that the loss was $130.
Let’s break it down carefully.
The riddle says:
A man steals a $100 bill from a store’s register.
At this moment, the store has lost $100 in cash.
Later, the thief returns to the same store.
He uses that same stolen $100 bill to buy $70 worth of goods.
The cashier accepts the bill because it appears to be legitimate and places it back into the register.
At that point, the original stolen $100 has returned to the store.
However, the thief receives:
- $70 worth of merchandise
- $30 in change
Now let’s calculate the final loss.
The store recovered its original $100 bill when the thief used it for payment.
But the store gave away:
- $70 in goods
- $30 in cash change
Total loss:
$70 + $30 = $100
The Correct Answer: The Store Lost $100
The confusion comes from counting the stolen $100 twice.
Many people think:
- The thief stole $100
- Then received $70 in goods
- Then received $30 in cash
So they add everything together and get $200.