100 Euros

[Jock1953]

Hi Guys, I cannot work out the trick on this. Can you?

A man walks into an hotel and asks if any rooms are available. The hotelier says yes, but if he wants it, he must confirm his booking within 1 hour and leave a 100 Euro refundable deposit. He leaves the 100 Euro deposit.

The Hotelier immediately goes round and pays his butcher's bill of 100 Euros.
The Butcher immediately goes round and pays his garage bill of 100 Euros.
The garage owner immediately goes round and pays his newsagent's bill of 100 Euros.
The newsagent immediately goes round and pays his hotel bill of 100 Euros.

The man then returns to the hotel and says he has changed his mind and gets his 100 Euros back from the hotelier. All the bills have been paid and the man has got his 100 Euros back.

How can this be? What is the trick? I cannot work it out!

[jno]

not really a trick - you could do it without the note. Everyone owed 100 euros and was owed 100 euros so they were all square; they still are. It's just saved some paperwork.

[jno]

... and some interest payments!

[ubasses]

Its a lighthearted way of describing quantative easing - no trick

[bibblebub]

There is cycle of 4 people who each owe the same amount and who could have agreed to cancel out the bills amongst themselves.