Might as well check this line of argument works with a toy example.
The argument needs to look at the wider situation. How did the burger shop decide on their restocking algorithm? By looking at demand. They will continue to look at demand and review their algorithm from time to time. Buying one burger contributes to that, so the situation is that one more customer may result in them changing the numbers from 100 and 120 to 110 and 130. Ten extra burgers a day until they review the numbers again. The probability that your burger pushes them into ordering more is smaller than in the original example, but the number of extra burgers is proportionately larger. Slack in the chain doesn't affect the mean effect, only the variance.
I hadn't heard of that parable before, but I had heard the more upbeat business story of American Airlines saving $40,000 a year by putting one less olive in each salad it served in first class.
A crucial detail: "most passengers did not eat the olives in their salads". At least, in that telling of the story. So there was reason to think that the olives weren't earning their place in terms of passenger satisfaction.
Once, when I was younger, I found I could shave 5 minutes off my commute by leaving for the train station 5 minutes later in the morning!
You knew the timetable and caught the same train?
The argument needs to look at the wider situation. How did the burger shop decide on their restocking algorithm? By looking at demand. They will continue to look at demand and review their algorithm from time to time. Buying one burger contributes to that, so the situation is that one more customer may result in them changing the numbers from 100 and 120 to 110 and 130. Ten extra burgers a day until they review the numbers again.
Incorporating this into the toy model shows this isn't enough to guarantee proportionality either.
My hypothetical burger shop ...
Just a thought I had the other day; what do you think that the political ideas of conservatism have to do with cognitive bias? I mean, how much are people willing to change naturally, without arguing any points?
I know very little about all of these things, so forgive me if this is a silly thought.