Students learn smart shopping tips

Over 80 fourth-grade students funneled through the doors of Albertsons Market on Tuesday morning to learn valuable shopping tips as part of Arizona Weights and Measures week.

Personnel from Arizona Weights and Measures manned various stations around the supermarket where Palmcroft Elementary School students were taught about things like price accuracy, unit pricing, how to accurately read grocery store labels and signs, and how meat items are packaged.

“The goal of today's exercise was to teach students about the regulatory and retail side of business and ultimately equip these young consumers with shopping tips they can use every day,” said Kevin Tyne, Weights and Measures director.

“We are very grateful to be able to partner with Albertsons Market and Palmcroft Elementary School to help children understand how important it is that customers have confidence they are receiving what they pay for.”

At one station, students had the opportunity to ring up items at the cash register to make sure the listed prices match what they are being charged. They also learned that all retailers have an error policy and while they are required to be posted, it is the consumer's responsibility to look for it and read it.

At another station, they learned that sometimes just because an item is more conveniently packaged, like a single serving bottle of soda or chips, it doesn't mean that is the best value for their dollar.

Mike Wright, an investigator with the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures, taught students about how meat is packaged and warned students to look out for the tare number, which should account for the weight of packaging.

“If the tare is zero, there's something wrong,” he said, noting that most likely if that is the case, employees could be working with a malfunctioning scale.

Wright said that if they visit a store that has an incorrectly marked label, they are fined for each package it appears on.

“We want to make sure people are getting their value for their money,” he said.

Fourth-grade teacher Brenda Dennis explained that trips like this help students see how things like fractions, multiplication and division are used in the real world.

“I think sometimes they forget that stuff we learn in class isn't just for class,” she said.

This is the second year that Palmcroft has participated in the event at Albertsons.

“I'm always surprised at how the kids are very price-conscious,” said Ramona Willams, store director at the Albertsons located at 252 W. 32nd St. “They know that whatever dollar amount they have, they know to look for change and what change they're supposed to get back. I'll see some of these kids come in with their parents and I get the benefit of hearing them discuss what they've learned while they're here.”

In addition to a bag of educational materials from Weights and Measures, students were also given a backpack of goodies from Albertsons, Williams said. She added that the school will also receive a gift card to Albertsons to be used however they choose.

As Arizona Weights and Measures Week is happening statewide March 1-7, similar events are taking place this week in Payson, Tucson, Mesa and Phoenix.