Three Depression era kids go into an old timey general store. The first kid says, “I’d like two cents of gobstoppers.”

The old clerk looks around and sees the jar of gobstoppers on the highest shelf behind him. He goes in the back room, fetches a ladder, brings it out front, climbs to the top, gets the jar, climbs down the ladder, opens the jar, pulls out two gobstoppers, closes the jar, climbs the ladder, puts the jar away, climbs down the ladder, puts the ladder in the back room, comes back out front, and accepts the payment.

He turns to the second boy and asks him what he wants.

“Two cents of gobstoppers, please.”

The old man sighs, goes in the back room, fetches the ladder, brings it out front, climbs to the top, gets the jar, climbs down the ladder, opens the jar, pulls out two gobstoppers, and starts to close the jar before he stops suddenly. He eyes the third kid warily. “I suppose you want two cents of gobstoppers too.” The kid shakes his head.

The old man nods, closes the jar, climbs the ladder, puts the jar away, climbs down the ladder, puts the ladder in the back room, comes back out front, and accepts the payment.

“OK, what do you want?” he asks the third kid.

“One cent of gobstoppers.”