by Martin Haschka

Created on: September 06, 2009

During his summer vacations Christopher works in a supermarket. He is put in charge of all the fruits and vegetables. His job is to make sure there is always enough fresh produce piled on the shelves. Several times a day he refills the boxes and after his first week he has a pretty good idea about the daily turnover of his goods. He knows for example that 400 pounds of bananas leave the store on an average day. They sell for $ 0.69 per lb.

When Christopher arrives for work on the first morning of his second week, George, the store manager, is already busy overseeing some changes in the layout of Christopher's department. A large display is being put up close to the supermarket's entrance. George asks Christopher to fill it up with bananas. Entering the storage cooler, Christopher doesn't believe his eyes: bananas everywhere! Soon Christopher builds up a healthy sweat from this unexpected early morning workout until 200 pounds of bananas smile at the customers entering the store. Unfortunately the supply still left in storage seems hardly touched.

Bright signs with large letters advertise an absolute bargain: 1 pound of bananas for only $ 0.29. Still, Christopher has his doubts that the bananas will sell before they spoil. But George only gives him a wink, "Don't worry, they will be gone by Thursday," he says, "it's a law".

Uncomprehendingly Christopher looks first at George, then at the bananas. A law? He already heard of a number of weird laws, but a law that forces customers to buy bananas when George feels like selling them? Instead of enlightening him, George just grins into Christopher's stupefied face "Just wait and see...," is his only response before he energetically strides to the other side of his store only to give the final touches to a new and largely oversized mountain of soda bottles.

Over the day, Christopher laboriously discovers that George indeed is right. By the time his shift is over he has carried 1100 pounds of bananas into the shop, only to watch them go again as soon as he's piled them up. Still he wonders about the law George mentioned. On his way out he meets his boss examining the remains of the soda mountain and asks. George laughs "You still haven't figured it out?" Then he explains:

"It's the Law of Demand, one of the basic laws of economics: Lower the price of a good and people will buy more. Raise the price of a good and you will see demand for the good falling."

Later at home, he finds a bunch of bananas in a bowl on the kitchen

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