This seemingly simple math puzzle has become a favorite online because it looks easy at first, yet often leads to surprisingly heated disagreement. The setup involves a thief, a stolen $100 bill, a later purchase, and change handed back during the transaction. While the story appears straightforward, the challenge comes from tracking what the store actually loses by the end.
The scenario begins when a thief takes $100 directly from a store’s cash register. At that moment, the business is short $100 in cash. Later, the same person returns and uses that stolen bill to buy $70 worth of merchandise. Since the cashier does not know the money was stolen, the transaction is treated like a normal sale.
