Mihran Aroian
You just entered a coffee shop where the smell of freshly baked
muffins is wafting from the oven. You step up to the counter and order a
large to-go cup of freshly brewed coffee along with a banana-nut
muffin. You give the young clerk $10 and are rewarded with a steaming
hot cup of coffee and a freshly baked muffin. As you walk out the door,
you count your change and notice that the clerk gave you change for a
$20 bill. What would you do?
You have three choices: go back to the clerk and return the money,
leave the store and commit to yourself to pay back the money next time
you return, or enjoy the coffee, muffin, and the extra $10!
Having done this little experiment for many years with thousands of
college students in Texas, the results in the US are 60% keep the free
money, 15% promise to return the money next time they visit the store,
and 25% return the excess money to the clerk.
