How do locals know which market vendor will never compromise on quality?
Principles become visible through repeated choices.
Locals notice vendors who reject poor products, maintain standards during shortages, and keep customers returning year after year.
Quality is easy to claim and difficult to defend.
The hidden mechanism is sacrifice. Vendors who protect quality often lose short-term profits by rejecting inferior products or refusing easy compromises.
Imagine a fish seller closing early because today's catch was disappointing rather than selling products below personal standards.
A second-order effect develops because difficult decisions become stories. Customers share them, and stories become reputation.
People often think quality is measured by products. Communities often measure it by the things people refuse to sell.
