Lemonade Stand Economics

My twin daughters, age seven, opened a lemonade stand on our corner in July. They charged fifty cents a cup. By noon they had made four dollars and given away about thirty free cups to "people who looked thirsty."

I tried to explain the concept of profit. They explained the concept of "but the mailman was sweaty." Then a construction crew working on the road down the street came over, all six of them, and paid five dollars each for a cup.

The girls were overwhelmed. They made the men a sign that said "BEST CUSTOMERS EVER" and taped it to the traffic cone. The foreman taped it to his truck's dashboard.

They donated the money to the animal shelter, by their own choice. Twenty-eight dollars and fifty cents. They're already planning next summer. They want to add cookies. I've stopped arguing about the business model.