Cognitive Bias at the Coffee Shop

You walk into a crowded coffee shop for the first time, taking refuge from a cold and rainy day outside. Your eyes aren’t quite open yet. You’re not exactly what they call a morning person.

The clerk seems a little too chipper. “Looks like someone’s got a case of the Mondays!”, she sings, hearkening back to Office Space. Instantly, you’re certain she’s always been one of those people whose eyes pop open at 5 AM, eager to start their day. Rubbing it in everyone’s faces, even.

You see the menu price for espressos, note that double espressos are 25% off of their usual price, which is $5. Delighted by your luck in finding this sale, you order two to go. You’ve heard this place is really good, although you’re used to the place down the road—your normal watering hole for mornings.

You watch as she calls the order to the dude on the espresso machine. She yawns and rubs her eyes as she’s talking back and forth to the guy, but then she processes your card quickly and efficiently. Obviously sh…