Nick and the Marketplace

“Like Shopping Day,” Sana answered.

“We get to go shopping?” Nick wondered.

“Yes! It’s for the whole school. Mrs. Garver is always in charge of it. Since she teaches first grade, our class gets to run the marketplace this year.”

“A marketplace? So, like a big mall?”

“A little bit. Our class will be responsible for making or bringing in things to sell. Then, once a month, kids come in and spend the Bison Bucks they earned.” She showed him a small slip of paper. “This is a Bison Buck. You can earn them for really good behavior, working hard, helping people, things like that.”

“What kind of things do kids sell at the marketplace?” Nick asked.

“Usually things like bags of spirit clothes with our school colors, pencils, books, treats and snacks. Our school has a parent-teacher organization or PTO. They give us money, and we make a list of what to buy that we can sell.”

“Mrs. Garver announced that the first Shopping Day would be on the third Thursday in October. That gives you time to learn how to run the marketplace. It also gives everyone time to earn Bison Bucks.”

“Sounds fun!” said Nick. “Do we get to shop, too?”

“Absolutely!” said Mrs. Garver. “Everyone gets a break for lunch and another break to visit the other booths.”

The class spent the next few days getting ready. They made signs for their booths and figured out how to set up their products. They also decided on prices. Mrs. Garver went over the rules and made sure the students knew which booths they were running.

Thursday finally came. It was shopping day. Nick worked with his partner Rijad. They had a huge selection of snacks at their booth. Lots of Bison Bucks were being traded for snacks that day.

When Nick had his break, he and Sana walked around the other booths. There was a spirit booth that sold clothes and items with the Benton Elementary logo and colors. They also saw an art booth. They were selling items they had made in art class. The cafeteria workers even had a cookie booth, where they were selling homemade cookies and brownies. “I wonder if that booth makes it harder for us to sell our snacks?” he said to Sana.

“Maybe,” she said, “but Mrs. Garver said some competition is good. Besides, it’s nice to have choices when you shop. Then you can spend your money on what you want, and not just on what’s there.”

They continued walking. Nick noticed a beverage stand, one that sold school supplies, and another selling small toys. There was a booth with handmade bracelets, necklaces, and other items. “There are a lot of things for sale here,” he said.

The day after Shopping Day, the class talked about what went well. They made lists of products they had run out of, items that were very popular, and items that did not sell well. They discussed problems, and Mrs. Garver wrote down their suggestions of how to improve those areas. The parents in the PTO helped them with ideas on how to make their next Shopping Day a bigger success.

When they finished, Mrs. Garver explained, “Shopping Day is about helping you learn about our economy. You have learned about goods and services. Now you are learning about how things are bought and sold. You are learning about money and competition and how sellers get customers to buy goods. You are learning about economics! You will learn even more as the years go on and as you go into higher grades here at Benton.”

Nick raised his hand. “This was really fun, Mrs. Garver,” he said. “It was really hard work, but I know I learned a lot. I can’t wait until next month!”