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Product Details
Requirements
Junior Shopportunity Proficiency Badge
Recommended materials: paper, pen, pencil, and a hand held calculator. Choose 8 of the listed activities. Activities marked by an (*) MUST be completed.
All people have one thing in common, they are consumers. They use goods and services. In order to survive, every person requires the necessities of food, clothing and shelter. Goods and services that make life easier or more comfortable are luxuries. The decisions you make as a consumer now, or in the future, will depend on what goods and services are available and where you buy them.
1) WHY DO YOU BUY? You are hungry, you buy food. You break your leg, you go to a doctor. You live in a cold climate, you buy a coat. These services are for survival and protection. But there are other reasons that motivate you or make you decide to buy. They are based on wants, not needs. Write down your reasons for purchasing what you do.
2) COMPARISON SHOPPING Select one school supply that is easily purchased everywhere, such as crayons, markers, or pens. Choose a popular brand name and size (ex. 24 pack of Crayola crayons). Check its cost in 5 different types of stores (department store, gas station minimart, grocery store, etc.) Keep track of the store names and the cost of the item. Discuss with others why you think there is a difference in costs.
*3) WHAT'S AT THE MALL Make up a "guess" list of stores and the type of jobs you think will be found inside an enclosed shopping mall. Actually venture out and walk around a large mall and keep a record of how many different kinds of stores and different types of employment opportunities are there. What businesses do you think should be at a mall for a more convenience to shoppers (ex. doctor's office, post office?) Talk this over with some adults and see what their ideas are.
4) PRODUCT RESEARCH Visit a grocery, drug or discount store. Select three products and make a chart to record the answers to these questions: Choose 5 different brands of a product on the shelves (ex. toothpaste.) How many different sizes, weights or amounts does the store have? Which size is the best buy? Does the product have more than one kind of packaging(ex. hair spray aerosol, pump?) How or where have you seen this product advertised? Does the label promise anything? (ex. "fresh mint taste") Can you use a coupon or do any brands offer a rebate? Is there a special promotional price?
5) DOES ADVERTISING PLAY TRICKS? Does advertising play tricks on our minds? Collect ads from various magazines/newspapers. How are women shown in the ads? Are they in a professional situation or are they cleaning, cooking, selling cosmetics, clothes or household appliances? Are any different ethnic groups or disabled people shown in the ads? Is the ad promising something is you buy the product? ("You'll look good", "you'll have more fun") Discuss with others if you think women are portrayed in ads fairly.
6) SALES TAX What is sales tax? How much is sales tax? Is sales tax the same amount on everything? Where you live, is there sales tax on groceries, gasoline, restaurant food, clothes? Who gets the sales tax money?
*7) BETTER VS. BEST Go imagination shopping at a store where you can buy a complete outfit, everything from undergarments to the ribbon in your hair. Pretend you have two bills, one $50 and the other $100. Take paper and pencil along and see if you can select two headtotoe outfits you would be willing to wear and spend only $50 and $100. Make two lists of the items you will need before going to the store. Is the $100 outfit worth the extra $50 or can you dress for less?
8) LABELS AND TAGS How much information can you find on the clothing tags in your closet? What kinds of fabrics are your clothes made out of? Which ones come from fossil fuels? Which fabrics are easily replaced in nature? How are your clothes to be cleaned? If possible, visit a dry cleaners and see how clothes are dry cleaned. Is this more costly than using a washer and dryer?
9)EAT IN EAT OUT How much do 8 quarter pound hamburgers cost at a fast food restaurant? How much does 2 pounds of hamburger meat and an 8pack of hamburger buns cost at a grocery store? Which is cheaper? Why do you think there is a difference? What about your favorite soft drink? How much is a 12oz. can from the vending machine? How much is the same can, if you buy it in a 6,12,or 24 pack at the grocery store?
10) ROCK STAR MANIA How are you going to listen to your favorite rock star? Compare the cost of a live concert ticket, a CD, a cassette tape and taking your chances listening to the radio. How would you budget for each of these options? How long would it take you to save for each.
11) SHOPPING FROM HOME Can you shop without ever leaving home? Make a list of all the different opportunities you have to shop? What are the advantages and disadvantages? What steps can you take to make sure you don'' have problems?
12) TECHNOLOGY A cashier's job looks easy, punch in some numbers, take people's money and give them back change. Simple, what if you were a cashier who lived when cash registers only told you the total of the purchases and you were responsible for "counting back" change? If your customer's sale was $11.27 and she gave you a $20 bill, what would be the least amount of coins and paper bills you could give her? How do you count back change to her starting at $11.27?
*13) SHOPPING SAFETY There are always lots of people in the stores Are you always safe there? Think about how you carry your money. Do you have it in a purse or a pocket? What about your purchases? Are the always safe next to you? Role play sitting on a mall bench, eating at a table, making more purchases, using the pay phone and see if someone could easily take your things. What about public rest rooms? Where are they located? Can you get to your car or bus safely?
14) WOMEN'S VS. MEN'S Is there a difference between similar clothing, such as jeans and t shirts for women and men? Do you think they are made differently, advertised differently, cleaned differently? Why do you think there is a cost difference? Call 2 dry cleaners to compare the cost of cleaning similar items between men and women.
15) RECYCLEABLES Draw two symbols that tell you something has been made from recyclable materials or can be recycled. How many items and packages can you find on store shelves and racks made from recyclable material? Put the items you find into groups, those made from paper, plastic, metal, etc. Are recycled products more or less expensive than nonrecycled products? Why do you think this is?
16) CAREER OPPORTUNITIES There are many careers associated with the advertising and selling of products. Make a list of all the careers you can think of pertaining to ordering, displaying, selling, inventorying, etc. of products and services. Interview at least 3 people who work at these jobs. Based on your observations are certain positions more likely to be filled by a man or a woman? why do you think this is so?
17)MERCHANDISING Visit various types of stores and notice the first things that you see as you enter each store. Talk with a salesperson about how they display merchandise. Look at the physical layout of the store and ask the salesperson to explain why store layout is important. How often is the store stock "rotated"? How are sale items displayed differently? What items get the best location? (eyelevel, end of aisle, by the checkout lane) What kind of items do you see while waiting in the checkout lane? Are they expensive or inexpensive? What kind of merchandise would you put near the checkout lane?
Thanks to Betty Moore and Becky Taylor for their assistance in the development of the Rock River Valley Council of Girl Scouts' Shopportunity Badge
