Calculating a Thief’s Impact on a Store’s Bottom Line

In the scenario where a woman steals $100 from a store and then uses that stolen money to purchase goods worth $70, it is crucial to understand the financial impact on the store. To accurately assess the total loss, we must consider both the cash stolen and the goods that were given away.

Understanding the Scenario

The situation can be broken down into two parts: the theft and the purchase of goods. Here are the key steps to understand the loss:

Theft: The woman steals $100 from the store. Purchase: She uses the stolen money to buy $70 worth of goods.

The Total Loss Calculation

Let's analyze the losses step by step:

Initial Loss from Theft: The store loses $100 when the money is stolen. Value of Goods Taken: The store loses the $70 worth of goods that the woman took.

To find the total loss, we need to add the loss from the theft and the loss from the goods taken:

Initial loss from theft $100 - Value of goods taken $70 Total Loss $170

Thus, the cashier lost a total of $170.

A Clearer Perspective on Total Loss

Some might argue that the cashier only lost $100, as that was the initial amount stolen. However, the store also incurred a loss of $70 worth of goods. Therefore, the total loss is:

Total Loss $100 (stolen cash) $70 (goods lost) $170

Another Approach to the Calculation

Another perspective is that the total loss is $100. Here's why:

The woman stole $100. She used $70 of that to purchase goods. However, the store did not receive any money for these goods.

Therefore, the total loss is simply the $100 stolen. The fact that the goods were purchased doesn't change the initial loss to the store.

A Detailed Breakdown

The final breakdown of the total loss is:

Amount stolen by the woman: $100 Amount spent by the woman on goods: $70

Total Loss Amount stolen - Amount spent $100 - $70 $30

This calculation shows that the cashier lost $30 in this transaction.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the total loss to the store in this scenario is $170. This is the sum of the stolen cash ($100) and the lost goods ($70). Alternatively, the fingerprint remains, the total initial loss is $100, and the store incurs an additional loss of $70 in goods, ultimately totaling $170.