The Generous Baker

A baker gave a free loaf to every tenth customer.

Word spread. More customers came. More free loaves went out. More word spread.

Within a month, a crowd gathered each morning hoping to be the tenth. The baker couldn't keep up. He hired help. Costs rose. He raised prices. Customers complained that the free loaf wasn't worth the wait.

The baker ended the promotion. The crowds vanished — and took his regular customers with them.

He'd fed a loop he couldn't sustain.