Ah Chai sells chicken rice at a busy hawker centre. For some reason, his stall is very popular. Every day, his stall is surrounded by a long queue of hungry customers. One morning, Ah Chai had an idea. “For one extra dollar,” he called out, “you may join the Fast Queue and be served first!” A few office workers took the offer, happy to save a minute or two. Before long, so many people paid the extra dollar that the Fast Queue became as long as the regular one had been. No one wants to...
