lat-puzz.com

by **WiZ** » Mon Dec 04, 2023 10:20 pm

Why did every employee of a financially struggling mid-size business get a new gaming console as a Christmas bonus?

ROIMBT. Caveat earlispoilor.

by **JenBurdoo1** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 1:39 am

Was it intended to give gaming consoles, or was something else supposed to be the bonus?

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 7:54 am

Relevant how or why the business was financially struggling?

by **BitterLemonCurry** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 8:51 am

Is the nature of the business relevant? (sorry, didn't see OAATP)

by **Sundowner64** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 12:07 pm

Will distributing the consoles create new sales for the company?

by **WiZ** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 8:55 pm

JenBurdoo

Was it intended to give gaming consoles yes, or was something else supposed to be the bonus?

Sundowner

Will distributing the consoles create new sales for the company? no

BitterLemonCurry

Is the nature of the business relevant? yes

GalFisk

Relevant how or why the business was financially struggling? no

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 05, 2023 8:58 pm

Was giving this particular bonus better for the company than giving some other bonus?

by **JenBurdoo1** » Wed Dec 06, 2023 6:26 am

Did someone (perhaps someone unfamiliar with videogame consoles) make a relevant mistake?

by **BitterLemonCurry** » Wed Dec 06, 2023 4:38 pm

Was this meant as a method of reducing their working capital?

by **WiZ** » Wed Dec 06, 2023 10:57 pm

GalFisk

Was giving this particular bonus better for the company than giving some other bonus? please rephrase (in the vein of 'better in what sense?')

JenBurdoo

Did someone (perhaps someone unfamiliar with videogame consoles) make a relevant mistake? yes

BitterLemonCurry

Was this meant as a method of reducing their working capital? no

by **GalFisk** » Thu Dec 07, 2023 9:28 am

Better: more economical? Made more business sense? Made the employees happier?

by **WiZ** » Thu Dec 07, 2023 10:05 pm

GalFisk

Better: more economical? yes Made more business sense? no Made the employees happier? yes

by **BalinTheDwarf** » Fri Dec 08, 2023 6:19 am

Is the console they received new for the time period? A previous generation of console? One from a significantly-past era?

by **GalFisk** » Fri Dec 08, 2023 7:34 am

Is the name of the console relevant?

by **trebor2** » Sat Dec 09, 2023 12:25 am

Was the intention to give out a different brand of console?

by **WiZ** » Sun Dec 10, 2023 7:19 pm

Balin

Is the console they received new for the time period? yes A previous generation of console? One from a significantly-past era?

GalFisk

Is the name of the console relevant? the name itself isn't, no

Trebor

Was the intention to give out a different brand of console? no

by **GalFisk** » Mon Dec 11, 2023 7:58 am

Is another name relevant? Such as that if the company that made the console?

by **BitterLemonCurry** » Mon Dec 11, 2023 8:47 am

Is the term "consolation" (or "to console") relevant?

by **WiZ** » Tue Dec 12, 2023 3:37 am

GalFisk

Is another name relevant? no Such as that if the company that made the console?

BitterLemonCurry

Is the term "consolation" (or "to console") relevant? no

by **BitterLemonCurry** » Tue Dec 12, 2023 9:14 am

Are gaming consoles part of the company's regular business?

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 12, 2023 9:50 am

Did the person who made the mistake mean for the gift to be: a different gaming console? Some other electronics? Something else entirely? A console not for gaming? Nothing?

by **Sundowner64** » Tue Dec 12, 2023 10:41 am

Was the original intention to give a less expensive bonus? no bonus at all? (maybe someone read "send them an X box" rather than "send them an Xmas box" --

)

by **WiZ** » Tue Dec 12, 2023 10:48 pm

BitterLemonCurry

Are gaming consoles part of the company's regular business? no

GalFisk

Did the person who made the mistake mean for the gift to be: a different gaming console? Some other electronics? Something else entirely? A console not for gaming? Nothing? FA to all

Sundowner

Was the original intention to give a less expensive bonus? no bonus at all? in all likelihood, this (maybe someone read "send them an X box" rather than "send them an Xmas box" --

) no

by **GalFisk** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:02 am

FA: that a person made the mistake? That there was a mistake? That the mistake was in which gift to give? That the mistake was made with gifts in mind?

by **BitterLemonCurry** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:29 am

Was there an instruction to give the employees "no cash bonus" for Christmas?

by **Sundowner64** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 3:36 pm

Did the company buy the consoles specifically for this purpose? did they have them in stock anyway? did they mail-order them to be sent directly to the employee's home?

by **WiZ** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 7:49 pm

GalFisk

FA: that a person made the mistake? That there was a mistake? no to both That the mistake was in which gift to give? That the mistake was made with gifts in mind? yes to both

BitterLemonCurry

Was there an instruction to give the employees "no cash bonus" for Christmas? no

Sundowner

Did the company buy the consoles specifically for this purpose? yes/FA, explore did they have them in stock anyway? no did they mail-order them to be sent directly to the employee's home? no

by **GalFisk** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:10 pm

Did the company mistakenly buy video game consoles while trying to buy something else?

by **trebor2** » Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:18 pm

Did the company intend to give out as many consoles as they did?

by **JenBurdoo1** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 12:43 am

Was the purchaser told to buy something else that he mistook to mean game consoles?

by **Sundowner64** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 10:11 am

Did the company buy the consoles by mistake? and only after decided to give them to the employees?

by **BalinTheDwarf** » Fri Dec 15, 2023 4:33 pm

Is it relevant which company produced the consoles?

by **WiZ** » Sun Dec 17, 2023 7:35 pm

GalFisk

Did the company mistakenly buy video game consoles while trying to buy something else? no/FA

Trebor

Did the company intend to give out as many consoles as they did? no

JenBurdoo

Was the purchaser told to buy something else that he mistook to mean game consoles? no/FA

Sundowner

Did the company buy the consoles by mistake? no/FA and only after decided to give them to the employees?

Balin

Is it relevant which company produced the consoles? no (Xbox, for context)

by **GalFisk** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 7:21 am

FA: that the company bought the consoles? That the company intended to buy anything at all?

by **BitterLemonCurry** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:22 am

Did someone relevantly buy an Xbox intended as a private Christmas gift?

by **WiZ** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 8:39 pm

GalFisk

FA: that the company bought the consoles? yes That the company intended to buy anything at all? in all likelihood, this is also true

BitterLemonCurry

Did someone relevantly buy an Xbox intended as a private Christmas gift? no

by **trebor2** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:56 pm

Does this company sell: a product? a service?

by **WiZ** » Mon Dec 18, 2023 11:36 pm

Does this company sell: a product? a service? this

by **GalFisk** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:08 am

Relevant which service? Or which kind of service?

by **BalinTheDwarf** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 1:23 pm

Was the company mistakenly shipped the consoles?

by **WiZ** » Tue Dec 19, 2023 8:28 pm

GalFisk

Relevant which service? Or which kind of service? very

Balin

Was the company mistakenly shipped the consoles? no

by **GalFisk** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 8:59 am

Is the service at all related to gaming consoles? Or video gaming in general? Or computing in general? Or electronics in general?

by **Sundowner64** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 9:43 am

Did the company ever have the consoles in their possession? legally? did they pay for them? were the consoles a deposit or security of some sorts?

by **WiZ** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 7:47 pm

GalFisk

Is the service at all related to gaming consoles? Or video gaming in general? Or computing in general? Or electronics in general? no to all

Sundowner

Did the company ever have the consoles in their possession? legally? yes to both did they pay for them? no were the consoles a deposit or security of some sorts? no

I think that's more than one question, but I'll let it slide as this one is running longer than I expected

by **GalFisk** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 10:14 am

Was a relevant mistake made by someone outside the company? By another company?

by **WiZ** » Thu Dec 21, 2023 7:27 pm

Was a relevant mistake made by someone outside the company? yes By another company? no

OAATP rules are now lifted; let's get this one out by Christmas.

by **BalinTheDwarf** » Sat Dec 23, 2023 12:26 am

Were the consoles ever in the company's possession? Did they go directly to the employees? From someone/somewhere else?

by **WiZ** » Sat Dec 23, 2023 12:52 am

On phone, so will keep formatting to a minimum

Were the consoles ever in the company's possession? Yes Did they go directly to the employees? Yes From someone/somewhere else? no

by **BalinTheDwarf** » Sat Dec 23, 2023 3:52 pm

Did the company distribute Xboxes as part of its normal business operations? Receive them? Manufacture them?

by **WiZ** » Sat Dec 23, 2023 11:09 pm

Did the company distribute Xboxes as part of its normal business operations? Receive them? Manufacture them? No to all

by **GalFisk** » Wed Dec 27, 2023 5:30 pm

Is the name "xbox" relevant? Relevant which xbox model they got? Is the term "xmas" televant? "Xmas box"? Was the decision to give the xboxes as Christmas bonuses made after the mistake was made? Were they doing the best out of a problematic situation? Tax breaks relevant?

by **Sundowner64** » Wed Jan 03, 2024 11:37 am

Were all Xboxes shipped to this company at once? by the same sender?
Were they meant as a gift? as a free sample?
Was the company supposed to do something with this Xboxes? (other than distributing to their employees)
like: cleaning? repairing? upgrading? testing? writing a review?
Is the name of the company relevant?

by **trebor2** » Fri Jan 05, 2024 7:37 pm

Is the company in the hospitality industry? Food and beverage? Are they a shipping company? Cleaning? Technology? Health/medicine? Legal system? Education? Event planning/organizing? Arts? Escort service? Transit? Therapy? Marketing? Consulting?

Are they typically engaged by individuals? By organizations? Is completing a physical task the main part of their service? (Such as cleaning windows, moving furniture, etc.?) Do they provide advice? Is the aim of their service to improve finances? To provide entertainment? To improve your leisure time? To improve physical health? Mental health? To streamline a process? Is their target demographic adults? Children? Families? Gender-specific?

by **WiZ** » Sun Jan 07, 2024 7:43 pm

GalFisk

Is the name "xbox" relevant? no Relevant which xbox model they got? no Is the term "xmas" televant? "Xmas box"? no to both Was the decision to give the xboxes as Christmas bonuses made after the mistake was made? yes Were they doing the best out of a problematic situation? yes Tax breaks relevant? no

Sundowner

Were all Xboxes shipped to this company at once? more or less by the same sender? yes
Were they meant as a gift? yes as a free sample? no
Was the company supposed to do something with this Xboxes? (other than distributing to their employees) no, they had no obligations with the Xboxes once they came into possession of them
like: cleaning? repairing? upgrading? testing? writing a review? no to all
Is the name of the company relevant? no

Trebor

Is the company in the hospitality industry? Food and beverage? Are they a shipping company? Cleaning? Technology? Health/medicine? Legal system? Education? Event planning/organizing? Arts? Escort service? Transit? Therapy? Marketing? Consulting? no to all, but keep trying

Are they typically engaged by individuals? yes By organizations? also yes Is completing a physical task the main part of their service? yes (Such as cleaning windows, moving furniture, etc.? but no to your examples) Do they provide advice? no Is the aim of their service to improve finances? To provide entertainment? To improve your leisure time? no to these To improve physical health? very indirectly, maybe Mental health? no To streamline a process? noish Is their target demographic adults? Children? Families? yes to all Gender-specific? no

by **GalFisk** » Mon Jan 08, 2024 9:09 am

Do thet clean stuff? Move stuff? Talk to people? Entertain? Make or serve food? Drinks? Do they (very indirectly, maybe) improve physical health by making people be more physically active? Eat better? Eat less? Does the company relevantly have any facilities, apart from normal offices? Sports relevant?

by **Sundowner64** » Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:09 pm

Were the Xboxes sent to this company by another company, organization or club? by an individual? by a manufacturer? wholeseller? retailer? by a government institution? Did they send them by mistake? should the Xboxes actually go somewhere else? Did the sender think this company is actually the owner of these Xboxes? or that they could make good use of it?
Were the Xboxes sent to this company as a gift? as a donation? did the sender think the company is a charity organization? is it, actually?
Were the Xboxes fully functional? still in original packaging? unused? of the newest line?
Were games pre-installed? copyright relevant? did the sender want to get rid of these Xboxes?

by **WiZ** » Mon Jan 08, 2024 10:48 pm

GalFisk

Do thet clean stuff? yesish Move stuff? yesish Talk to people? Entertain? Make or serve food? Drinks? no to rest Do they (very indirectly, maybe) improve physical health by making people be more physically active? Eat better? Eat less? no to these Does the company relevantly have any facilities, apart from normal offices? yes Sports relevant? no

Sundowner

Were the Xboxes sent to this company by another company, organization or club? yes by an individual? by a manufacturer? this wholeseller? retailer? by a government institution? no to rest Did they send them by mistake? no should the Xboxes actually go somewhere else? yope Did the sender think this company is actually the owner of these Xboxes? yes or that they could make good use of it? irrelevant
Were the Xboxes sent to this company as a gift? yesish as a donation? noish did the sender think the company is a charity organization? irrelevant is it, actually? no
Were the Xboxes fully functional? till in original packaging? unused? of the newest line? assume yes to all
Were games pre-installed? irrelevant copyright relevant? no did the sender want to get rid of these Xboxes? there was no particular onus to get rid of them, no

by **GalFisk** » Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:05 am

Yesish clean stuff: clean people? Disinfect stuff? Repair stuff? Is the cleaning stuff their main thing? Just a consequence or necessary part of what they actually do? Did they pay for the Xboxes? Did someone else? Were they sent as a bribe? A thank you? Were they sent by the Xbox manufacurer? Did the sender intend for the Xboxes to be: given away? Kept? Sold? Returned? Did someone relevantly confuse video games with other types of games?

by **doriana_** » Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:58 am

Were the Xboxes supposed to be sent to a company with the same (or a very similar) name as the one that actually received them? a company with the same mailing address?

by **WiZ** » Tue Jan 09, 2024 9:13 pm

GalFisk

Yesish clean stuff: clean people? no Disinfect stuff? I think so, but I'm beginning to speculate here Repair stuff? no Is the cleaning stuff their main thing? no Just a consequence or necessary part of what they actually do? yes Did they pay for the Xboxes? no Did someone else? no Were they sent as a bribe? A thank you? no to both Were they sent by the Xbox manufacurer? yes Did the sender intend for the Xboxes to be: given away? yes Kept? Sold? Returned? no/irrel to rest Did someone relevantly confuse video games with other types of games? no

Doriana

Were the Xboxes supposed to be sent to a company with the same (or a very similar) name as the one that actually received them? a company with the same mailing address? no to both

by **GalFisk** » Wed Jan 10, 2024 7:47 am

Do they clean off: dirt? Food? Bodily fluids? Animal droppings? Do they clean animals? Medical equipment? Are they an amusement park? Zoo? Aquarium? Museum? Water park? Other place where people go to see or do something interesting and/or unusual?

by **doriana_** » Wed Jan 10, 2024 9:34 am

Did the manufacturer send the Xboxes unprompted? Or did the company ask for them? Or did they ask for something else, but were sent the Xboxes instead?

by **Sundowner64** » Wed Jan 10, 2024 9:53 am

Is the business of the company: house clearance? crime scence clean up?

by **trebor2** » Thu Jan 11, 2024 11:31 pm

Is the name Microsoft relevant? Is the name of the company relevant? Does their name make it sound like they have something to do with gaming consoles/computers? WAG, but are microfibre cloths relevant?

Did Microsoft send the Xboxes to this company on purpose? If so, did they know what business the company was in? Did Microsoft make a mistake?

Is this a construction company? Yardwork? House/building repairs? Fitness? Mechanic? Waste removal? Tailoring/clothing? Are they beauty/hair/nail-related? Are the employees providing this service typically low-income earners?

by **WiZ** » Thu Jan 18, 2024 3:31 am

GalFisk

Do they clean off: dirt? Food? yes to both Bodily fluids? Animal droppings? unlikely to both Do they clean animals? no Medical equipment? unlikely Are they an amusement park? Zoo? Aquarium? Museum? Water park? Other place where people go to see or do something interesting and/or unusual? no to all

Doriana

Did the manufacturer send the Xboxes unprompted? no Or did the company ask for them? yesish Or did they ask for something else, but were sent the Xboxes instead? no

Sundowner

Is the business of the company: house clearance? crime scence clean up? no to both

Trebor

Is the name Microsoft relevant? Is the name of the company relevant? no to both Does their name make it sound like they have something to do with gaming consoles/computers? no/irrel (I don't know what the company name is) WAG, but are microfibre cloths relevant? no

Did Microsoft send the Xboxes to this company on purpose? yes If so, did they know what business the company was in? no (and it may have affected their decision if they did) Did Microsoft make a mistake? no

Is this a construction company? Yardwork? House/building repairs? Fitness? Mechanic? no to all Waste removal? yope Tailoring/clothing? Are they beauty/hair/nail-related? no to both Are the employees providing this service typically low-income earners? yes

by **GalFisk** » Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:42 am

Do they also make food? Serve food? Provide a place to eat food? Is the food and dirt cleaned off of: dishes? Furniture? Clothing? Floors? Equipment? Do people go to their establishment to eat? Do they relevantly clean off something apart form dirt and food?

by **WiZ** » Thu Jan 18, 2024 9:53 pm

Do they also make food? Serve food? Provide a place to eat food? no to all Is the food and dirt cleaned off of: dishes? Furniture? Clothing? Floors? Equipment? no to all Do people go to their establishment to eat? no Do they relevantly clean off something apart form dirt and food? they will clean off a range of things, with dirt and food being the most common

'Waste removal' is the closest guess so far by a significant margin.

by **GalFisk** » Fri Jan 19, 2024 11:39 am

Do people bring stuff for them to clean? Do people come to them and leave food and dirt? Recycling relevant? Is the company name relevant?

by **trebor2** » Sat Jan 20, 2024 12:40 am

Are they a sewage company? (It's food, but on the other end!) Plumbing? Hospice/care home staff? Pet groomers? Garbage/recycling/compost collectors?

Do they clean the food and dirt off of: people? animals? the sidewalk? Roads? Ditches? Parks? A building or buildings? A monument? Is the food in question human food? Pet food? Food for other animals?

by **Sundowner64** » Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:15 pm

Did the company directly approach Microsoft? some other company? and asked for Xboxes? for something different? as a donation? did they mention what they were going to do with them? giving them to other people? charity work?
Did they make a general request to a large number of businesses for support/donations?

by **WiZ** » Mon Feb 19, 2024 11:54 pm

GalFisk

Do people bring stuff for them to clean? this isn't the idea, no Do people come to them and leave food and dirt? not by design Recycling relevant? extremely Is the company name relevant? no

Trebor

Are they a sewage company? no (It's food, but on the other end!) there's an interesting philosophical exercise Plumbing? Hospice/care home staff? Pet groomers? Garbage/ no to all recycling yes /compost collectors?

Do they clean the food and dirt off of: people? animals? the sidewalk? Roads? Ditches? Parks? A building or buildings? A monument? no to all Is the food in question human food? typically Pet food? occasionally Food for other animals? very occasionally

Sundowner

Did the company directly approach Microsoft? yesish some other company? no and asked for Xboxes? yesish for something different? no as a donation? yesish did they mention what they were going to do with them? no giving them to other people? charity work? irrelevant
Did they make a general request to a large number of businesses for support/donations? no

by **GalFisk** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:29 am

Are they a recycling company? did they want Microsoft to give them stuff to recycle? Did they want boxes but got xboxes? Want empty xbox boxes? Defective xboxes? Do they recycle: everything? Packaging? Electronics? Household waste? Industrial waste?

by **WiZ** » Tue Feb 20, 2024 8:31 pm

Are they a recycling company? yes! did they want Microsoft to give them stuff to recycle? no Did they want boxes but got xboxes? no (how fortuitous!) Want empty xbox boxes? Defective xboxes? no to these Do they recycle: everything? more or less Packaging? Electronics? Household waste? most relevantly this Industrial waste?

by **GalFisk** » Wed Feb 21, 2024 8:00 am

Was the mistake made by them? By Microsoft? Did they want to learn how to recycle something? Did they want recycling equipment? Advice?

by **trebor2** » Wed Feb 21, 2024 7:51 pm

Recycling old boxes relevant? (Like the Milton Jones joke about, "No, that's not what I wanted for Christmas, Grandma. It's just flattened bits of cardboard. That's an ex-box.")

by **WiZ** » Wed Feb 21, 2024 8:20 pm

GalFisk

Was the mistake made by them? By Microsoft? neither Did they (who?) want to learn how to recycle something? Did they want recycling equipment? Advice? although none of these are relevant

Terbor

Recycling old boxes relevant? no (Like the Milton Jones joke about, "No, that's not what I wanted for Christmas, Grandma. It's just flattened bits of cardboard. That's an ex-box.") Just pining for the cords, I'm sure

by **GalFisk** » Wed Feb 21, 2024 8:41 pm

Was the mistake made by a private individual? Someone representing a company? A middleman? Did the recycling company know they were in contact with Microsoft? Did the recycling company want some other item? Some intangible things? such as training? PR?

by **trebor2** » Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:17 pm

We're getting a lot of yesishes and the like to the recycling company directly approaching Microsoft. Trying to clear this up...

Did the recycling company (can we can the company R?) enlist a third party? Is this who made the mistake? Was this party a person? A company? Did R enlist them to contact someone/some company on their behalf? If so, did that party intend to contact Microsoft? Did R intend for them to contact Microsoft? Intend for them to contact Microsoft and other relevant entities? To not contact Microsoft at all? To contact a specific person within Microsoft? To contact Bill Gates?

Does it matter where R is located? Did R want to learn something about recycling? Did Microsoft? Did someone else? Perhaps the third party suggested above?

Are we talking about recycling hazardous household waste materials, like paints and cleaners and batteries and the like? Recycling electronics relevant? Paper/cardboard? Christmas-related things? Bottles/cans? Food containers? I'm stuck on how food is important, but they're not a composting company. Do they have to clean food off of/out of the things they recycle? (He asked as he noted the number of crumbs on his laptop.)

Are grants relevant? Other funding avenues? At any point in this process was R trying to increase their revenue? Obtain a new contract? Cut costs? Get some other bonus/gift for their employees? Expand their customer base? Are they relevantly contracted by a municipality? Other governing body? By a company? Or companies?

by **WiZ** » Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:46 pm

GalFisk

Was the mistake made by a private individual? yes Someone representing a company? A middleman? no to rest Did the recycling company know they were in contact with Microsoft? no/FA Did the recycling company want some other item? no Some intangible things? such as training? PR? n/a to these

Trebor

We're getting a lot of yesishes and the like to the recycling company directly approaching Microsoft. Trying to clear this up...

Did the recycling company (can we can the company R?) enlist a third party? 'enlist' is wrong, but third parties are relevant Is this who made the mistake? yes Was this party a person? yes A company? no Did R enlist them to contact someone/some company on their behalf? no If so, did that party intend to contact Microsoft? no Did R intend for them to contact Microsoft? no (although they may have expected them to) Intend for them to contact Microsoft and other relevant entities? no other relevant entities are involved To not contact Microsoft at all? they wouldn't have intended for them to contact Microsoft, as above To contact a specific person within Microsoft? there would have been one specific point of contact, yes To contact Bill Gates? no

Does it matter where R is located? no Did R want to learn something about recycling? no Did Microsoft? no Did someone else? no Perhaps the third party suggested above? n/a

Are we talking about recycling hazardous no household waste materials, like paints and cleaners and batteries and the like? no Recycling electronics relevant? no Paper/cardboard? no Christmas-related things? no Bottles yes! /cans? no Food containers? yesish, see above I'm stuck on how food is important perhaps alles ist klar now, but they're not a composting company. Do they have to clean food off of/out of the things they recycle? this would be their standard practice - including emptying drink bottles (He asked as he noted the number of crumbs on his laptop.) heh

Are grants relevant? no Other funding avenues? no At any point in this process was R trying to increase their revenue? no Obtain a new contract? no Cut costs? no Get some other bonus/gift for their employees? not relevantly Expand their customer base? no Are they relevantly contracted by a municipality? no Other governing body? no By a company? no (outside of whatever correspondence they had with Microsoft to obtain the Xboxen) Or companies? no

by **Sundowner64** » Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:59 am

Do they (the company R) collect bottles from private households? from businesses? from shops? from restaurants?
Are they usually hired by someone? or do they buy the used bottles, clean and resell them?
Glass bottles? plastic bottles? relevant?
Relevant what type of drink the bottles are for? water? soft drink? beer? milk? wine? other alcohol?
Is the individual person (may we call him/her A?) an employee of R? an employee of Microsoft? a customer of A? a customer of Microsoft?
Does A interact with R? with Microsoft?
Is the actual name of R relevant? the company logo? an advertisement? a marketing slogan or claim?

by **doriana_** » Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:28 pm

Is there a relevant language barrier? Is something getting lost in translation?

by **WiZ** » Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:04 pm

Sundowner

Do they (the company R) collect bottles from private households? from businesses? from shops? from restaurants? Fuzzy on the details, but likely a mix of private houses and public bottle banks
Are they usually hired by someone? or do they buy the used bottles, clean and resell them? no to both
Glass bottles? plastic bottles? this relevant? not really - it could work just about as well with glass
Relevant what type of drink the bottles are for? no water? soft drink? this, for context mainly beer? milk? wine? other alcohol?
Is the individual person (may we call him/her A?) There's a bit of a FA here, but not one that would change my answer to this question an employee of R? an employee of Microsoft? no to both a customer of R? yes, insofar as they use the services of R a customer of Microsoft? not relevantly
Does A interact with R? not directly with Microsoft? not relevantly
Is the actual name of R relevant? the company logo? an advertisement? a marketing slogan or claim? no to all

Doriana

Is there a relevant language barrier? Is something getting lost in translation? no to both

by **GalFisk** » Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:09 pm

Did A contact R? MS? Did R contact A? Did MS contact A? Did A mean for Xboxes to change hands? To go to R? Mean for something else to change hands? To go to R? Did A do anything underhanded? Criminal? Did A pretend to be R? Did A steal? Forge? Defraud?

by **WiZ** » Thu Mar 07, 2024 10:01 pm

Did A contact R? not relevantly MS? no Did R contact A? no Did MS contact A? no Did A mean for Xboxes to change hands? no To go to R? no Mean for something else to change hands? no To go to R? only in the context of having emptied a plastic soft drink bottle and wanting it to be a recycling company's problem nowDid A do anything underhanded? Criminal? no to both Did A pretend to be R? Did A steal? Forge? Defraud? n/a to all

by **GalFisk** » Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:13 am

Did MS want for Xboxes to change hands? Relevant which type of bottle A had emptied? Where it was bought? what it contained? How A tried to make R recycle it?

by **WiZ** » Sun Mar 10, 2024 7:54 pm

Did MS want for Xboxes to change hands? yes Relevant which type of bottle A had emptied? Where it was bought? no to both what it contained? the specific drink doesn't matter - we can say it was coke for the purposes of this puzzle - but there was relatively one kind of drink involved, or perhaps a small subset of drinks by the same parent company How A tried to make R recycle it? no

by **GalFisk** » Sun Mar 10, 2024 8:45 pm

Is MS having a contest? Giveaway? Something related to bottles? Do all the Xboxes they want to change hands end up with the recycling company?

by **WiZ** » Sun Mar 10, 2024 8:49 pm

Is MS having a contest? Giveaway? Yes! Something related to bottles? yes Do all the Xboxes they want to change hands end up with the recycling company? not all, no

by **GalFisk** » Mon Mar 11, 2024 7:50 am

Does the recycling company participate in the giveaway? Does the individual want the Xboxes? Is the giveaway a lottery? Do the bottles have redeemable codes? Some other feature making someone eligible for the giveaway? Can a bottle be used for the giveaway more than once? Did someone processing the giveaway send a bunch of eligible bottles to the recycling company? Were unsold bottles sent there? Was every bottle eligible for some time? Only a few? Were any bottles entered twice?

by **WiZ** » Mon Mar 11, 2024 8:02 pm

Does the recycling company participate in the giveaway? yes Does the individual want the Xboxes? I'm sure they would appreciate a free Xbox, yes Is the giveaway a lottery? yesish Do the bottles have redeemable codes? yes! Some other feature making someone eligible for the giveaway? no Can a bottle be used for the giveaway more than once? no Did someone processing the giveaway send a bunch of eligible bottles to the recycling company? yes! Were unsold bottles sent there? no Was every bottle eligible for some time? no Only a few? yes Were any bottles entered twice? no

We're pretty much there now - the only thing left is the FA around 'individual'. Work that out - and how that translated to the recycling company being sent a whole lot of eligible bottles - and we can close the book.

by **GalFisk** » Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:20 am

Were the eligible bottles (before they got R): Filled? Distributed? Sold? Emptied? Redeemed? Relevant how the process for redeeming bottles and getting Xboxes was designed? Was there a mistake in the design of the process? Or its execution?Such as, people could bring the bottles to a store and get an Xbox from them, but then the store had to redeem the bottles with MS to get a replacement Xbox?

by **trebor2** » Wed Mar 13, 2024 12:44 am

Is the "individual" a robot? A computer system/program? Is it whatever reads the code on the bottles? A bar code reader, or something like that? A machine at the recycling depot?

by **WiZ** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 3:17 am

GalFisk

Were the eligible bottles (before they got R): Filled? Distributed? Sold? Emptied? yes to all Redeemed? no Relevant how the process for redeeming bottles and getting Xboxes was designed? potentially, but beware of overcomplicating the solution Was there a mistake in the design of the process? Or its execution? no to both Such as, people could bring the bottles to a store and get an Xbox from them, but then the store had to redeem the bottles with MS to get a replacement Xbox? no - there were no hitches with the process

Trebor

Is the "individual" a robot? A computer system/program? Is it whatever reads the code on the bottles? A bar code reader, or something like that? A machine at the recycling depot? no to all

by **GalFisk** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:39 am

Relevant why they weren't redeemed? Were all the bottles bought by the same person or entity? Did someone relevantly not know they could be redeemed? Not care? Not want to redeem them? Was someone relevantly ineligible for participating in the giveaway? did someone relevantly try to exploit the giveaway? But was unable to, and then sent all the bottles acquired in the attempt to R?

by **WiZ** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:28 pm

Relevant why they weren't redeemed? no Were all the bottles bought by the same person or entity? no, and therein lies the FA Did someone relevantly not know they could be redeemed? Not care? most likely this, but not strictly relevant Not want to redeem them? Was someone relevantly ineligible for participating in the giveaway? no did someone relevantly try to exploit the giveaway? no But was unable to, and then sent all the bottles acquired in the attempt to R? no

I think we're there, really

***** SPOILER *****

The business was a recycling centre. Microsoft was running a promotion in which soft drink bottlecaps stamped with the word 'winner' or similar could be redeemed for a free Xbox. Employees noticed that a surprising number of 'winning' bottles were showing up in their collections (the consumers not having redeemed the caps for reasons of apathy, ignorance or failing to notice), enough that they were able to redeem at least one cap per employee - hence the bonus.

Congratulations GalFisk on the solution, and thank you everyone for playing. I think this is the most wrong I've been about an OAATP going quickly.