Junior Economics

One hot summer afternoon in August, a convenience store clerk leaned against the counter waiting for a customer to come along. Pretty soon a young boy entered the store, who looked to be around eight years old. This was the first time the clerk could recall having seen the boy come into the store. Getting inside turned out to be quite a chore for the child as he struggled to get the big door open without dropping an arm load of soda pop bottles he was carrying.

As the boy brought his prize to the counter, the clerk counted out nine empty bottles, and paid the deposit money due the young man.