The MBAs are making use of the math associated with risk management. An MBA with a flat tire teleworks for the day or takes a second car to work while a mobile mechanic service fixes the tire. A shift worker misses the shift and potentially loses the job for not finding someone to cover the shift.

MBAs who need a wrench can buy whichever wrench they want because they can afford it: a low end wrench if they need it to work once, a mid tier wrench if they’re looking for a mix of quality and cost, or a high end wrench if they like to buy it for life. A shift worker buys what they can afford and has to pray it doesn’t break because prayer is the only insurance they can afford.

A shift worker can’t afford a better wrench because a team of economists, psychologists, and political scientists have calculated exactly how low they can pay a person and keep the economy from grinding to a halt. An MBA eats lunch for $15 every day because nobody charges them $150.