Estimate coffee buyers at a campus cafe on day one of college placements

You are the placement coordinator at a Tier-1 engineering college, and today is the first day of campus placements, when companies come to the college to interview final-year students for jobs. There is a cafe on the campus. Estimate how many people bought coffee that day. ```hint Who is on campus today Placement day changes the routine of some groups on campus far more than others. Split the people present into groups and estimate a buying share for each before you multiply anything out. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the answer count unique people who bought coffee or cups sold, and how should a bulk order by the placement office for the interview rooms count? - Does the count cover only this cafe, or coffee bought anywhere on campus, such as messes, canteens and vending machines? - Is the rest of the college in session that day, or do placements fall during a break when most other students are away? - Do recruiters get refreshments from the placement office, or do they buy their own? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear definition of what is counted: people versus cups, which outlets, and bulk orders - A segmentation of the campus that separates placement-driven demand from the cafe's everyday customers, without double counting - Round, labeled assumptions and arithmetic that is easy to follow - A sanity check, such as a comparison with a normal day or with the cafe's serving capacity, and a range - Use of the coordinator's own data (registrations, shortlists, recruiter headcount) to tighten the estimate ### Follow-up Questions - How would the estimate change if placements took place during a vacation? - The cafe asks you how many staff and how much stock to plan for day 1. How would you turn your estimate into that advice? - Which numbers you hold as coordinator would you use to check the estimate, and which assumption would change it most?