There's a kind of bug that isn't hard to fix — it's just that it comes back.
I run a small coffee e-commerce platform, alone. One inventory bug had a very simple symptom: a coffee product was actually sold out. The admin panel showed it correctly — sold out. But a customer opening the storefront on their phone could still add it to the cart and place an order. Selling something you don't have is the kind of thing that makes an e-commerce person break into a cold sweat.
The first time I found it, I fixed it fast. The second time it showed up somewhere else, I fixed it again. The third time — when I noticed I was fixing "sold-out product is still orderable" for the third time — I stopped. Because a fourth time was just a matter of when.
That was the moment I realized: I shouldn't be fixing this bug. I should be asking why it keeps coming back.
Seven exits, the override patched on half of them
