A viral brain teaser has been making waves across social media platforms, leaving people everywhere scratching their heads as they try to figure out how much money a store actually lost in a seemingly simple situation. This puzzle, originally shared by the account “Out of Context Human Race” on X (formerly known as Twitter), presents a scenario that has sparked widespread debate. It’s a tricky math problem centered around a stolen $100 bill. Despite sounding straightforward at first glance, the brain teaser has amassed over 50 million views and continues to spark conversations and disagreements. So, how much money did the store truly lose? Let’s break it all down and take a closer look at what’s going on.

Here’s the situation: A man steals a $100 bill from a store’s cash register. Not long after, he returns to the same store and uses that exact $100 bill to buy $70 worth of goods. In the process, he receives $30 in change from the cashier. The main question is, “How much money did the store lose in total?” Sounds easy, right? Well, it’s not as simple as it appears. This puzzle has led to plenty of debate among puzzle enthusiasts and math lovers, with different answers and explanations being offered. Some say the loss is $100, others claim it’s $130, and a few argue for a different perspective altogether. To get to the bottom of it, we need to examine each part of the scenario in detail.

Let’s start by breaking down the three main transactions. First, the theft. The man steals $100 from the store’s cash register. That’s an immediate loss of $100 because the store’s cash drawer is short by that amount. Next comes the purchase. The thief then uses that stolen $100 to buy $70 worth of goods. Technically, the store gets the $100 bill back during the sale, which cancels out the cash loss from the theft. However, the store still loses $70 worth of merchandise because it gave away real products in exchange for a stolen bill. Finally, the change. When the cashier gives the man $30 in change, this is a new, tangible loss for the store because it’s handing over actual cash.

Now, let’s consider the different interpretations people have come up with. The first popular answer is that the store lost $100. The reasoning goes like this: the $100 bill was stolen but eventually returned when the man made his purchase. While that cancels out the cash loss, the store still loses $70 worth of goods and $30 in change. Add them together, and the store’s total loss is $100. Many people support this answer because it neatly sums up the goods and cash the store gave away as its real losses.

Another theory argues that the store lost $130. People who believe this explanation say that the store first lost $100 during the theft and then lost another $30 when it handed over the change. They argue that the fact the thief used stolen money to make his purchase doesn’t really compensate for the initial theft. By this logic, the store is out $100 plus the $30 in change, making a $130 loss. However, this perspective can be misleading because it doesn’t account for the fact that the $100 bill comes back to the store during the purchase, effectively balancing the theft in terms of cash flow.

The third explanation, which is the most logical and widely accepted, states that the store’s actual loss is $70 in goods and $30 in cash, totaling $100. The reasoning behind this view is clear: the $100 bill used in the transaction was returned, canceling out the initial theft. But the store still gave away $70 worth of goods and $30 in change, and those represent the true losses. This explanation emphasizes understanding the flow of goods and money rather than just focusing on the stolen bill.

So, what’s the correct answer? After breaking it all down, it’s clear the store’s total loss is $100. This consists of $70 worth of goods and $30 in cash given as change. The stolen $100 bill gets cycled back to the store during the purchase, so it doesn’t add to the loss. What really matters is the value of what the store parted with: merchandise and money. This is where many people get tripped up—by focusing too much on the stolen bill itself rather than the overall flow of transactions.

This brain teaser continues to stump people because it’s not just about doing simple arithmetic. It’s about understanding how value moves during a transaction and identifying where the actual loss happens. At the end of the day, the store is out $100, split between the goods and the change. If you struggled with this puzzle, don’t worry—you’re not alone! Many people have been caught off guard by its deceptive simplicity. But now, with a clear breakdown, we can confidently say the store lost $100. So, did you get it right?