Question

Shopping for Groceries
Christine is looking to help her father prepare dinner for the family. She has a choice of two stores to go pick up a few cans of French style green beans. Both store prices for the green beans are listed below. One store does not carry paper or plastic bags to carry groceries and charges $2 for a canvas bag to carry groceries, while the other provides free bags.



Store A


Number of
Cans
1
2
3
4
5
Total Cost
$3.50
$5
$6.50
$8
$9.50



Store B


Number of
Cans
1
2
3
4
5
Total Cost
$1.50
$3
$4.50
$6
$7.50

Answer 1

To help Christine decide which store to shop at, we need to calculate the total cost of purchasing the desired number of cans of French style green beans from both stores, factoring in the cost of the bag where applicable.

### Store A Prices (No Free Bags)
- **Cost per Can**: The total cost for 1 to 5 cans is given as:
- 1 can: $3.50
- 2 cans: $5.00
- 3 cans: $6.50
- 4 cans: $8.00
- 5 cans: $9.50
- **Canvas Bag Cost**: $2.00 (if needed)

### Store B Prices (Free Bags)
- **Cost per Can**: The total cost for 1 to 5 cans is given as:
- 1 can: $1.50
- 2 cans: $3.00
- 3 cans: $4.50
- 4 cans: $6.00
- 5 cans: $7.50
- **Bag Cost**: Free

### Total Costs Calculation
Let's calculate the total cost for both stores for each quantity of cans:

#### Store A (with canvas bag cost included)
- 1 can: $3.50 + $2.00 = **$5.50**
- 2 cans: $5.00 + $2.00 = **$7.00**
- 3 cans: $6.50 + $2.00 = **$8.50**
- 4 cans: $8.00 + $2.00 = **$10.00**
- 5 cans: $9.50 + $2.00 = **$11.50**

#### Store B (free bags)
- 1 can: **$1.50**
- 2 cans: **$3.00**
- 3 cans: **$4.50**
- 4 cans: **$6.00**
- 5 cans: **$7.50**

### Summary of Total Costs
| Number of Cans | Store A Total Cost | Store B Total Cost |
|----------------|---------------------|---------------------|
| 1 | $5.50 | $1.50 |
| 2 | $7.00 | $3.00 |
| 3 | $8.50 | $4.50 |
| 4 | $10.00 | $6.00 |
| 5 | $11.50 | $7.50 |

From the calculations above, it’s clear that Store B is the more economical option at all quantities of cans. Christine should consider purchasing the green beans from Store B to save money, especially as she can get them for significantly less without the need to buy a bag.