Abed is running the fryer in the cafeteria and is in charge of the most popular item on the menu: chicken fingers. The school’s Spanish teacher wants those tenders and trades Abed for a box of tenders. The exchange? A 10% bump in his study group’s grades. Exchanges can be achieved through a barter system when someone has something that the other one values. This double coincidence of wants is required for a successful exchange.
Community — Chicken Finger Shortage
Chicken fingers at the school cafeteria are a hot commodity! People are racing to the cafeteria to get them and demand is high, but they often run out before everyone can be served. If prices were higher then fewer people would want chicken fingers and there may be enough for everyone to get some, but instead, a shortage ensues. The original fry cook skims some of the tenders to give to select people, an example of inefficient allocation.
A group of close friends decides to take over the operation (like in a mafia movie) so that they can determine the allocation of this scarce resource. This group begins skimming the fingers as well and reselling them to others in the school at higher prices so that they can profit from the shortage.
Thanks to Sarah Corrigan for the clip recommendation!