To find out the genuine value of a question like this, march down the close reasons, and see how many fit:
###Questions asking for code must demonstrate a minimal understanding of the problem being solved. Include attempted solutions, why they didn't work, and the expected results.
Well, it doesn't ask for code, but the principle is the same. Why are you stuck? Have you tried anything yet? What were the results?
###There are either too many possible answers, or good answers would be too long for this format. Please add details to narrow the answer set or to isolate an issue that can be answered in a few paragraphs.
The number of answers this question has attracted seem to confirm this suspicion. Further, the answers do not appear to generalize to some fundamental principle of croissant purchase selection. How is this ever going to be useful to future programmers, other than as a mental masturbation exercise?
Verdict: Too broad, canihazalgoz.
Additional note: These kind of questions attract a lot of attention from the Reddit and Quora crowd, who don't know how to use their votes properly. They think they are still on Reddit. Or Quora.
Also, do you really want to open the door for any question that states "I have this life problem," and make it on-topic by slapping the word "algorithm" on it?
But ultimately, the problem with this question is not so much the question itself, but the inordinate amount of attention it has received. How to choose who buys croissants? Count me in. Help me with a controller algorithm for a power station? Eh, who gives a shit about that, when we can have croissants?
I did, in fact, cast the fifth vote on the question the first time. I did not, however, anticipate how attached people would get to it. Your priorities are ass-backwards, folks. How many topical questions about serious problems languish in neglect because we are too busy answering questions about croissant algorithms?