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.

Question

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 choose, let's first calculate the total costs for purchasing different quantities of cans, including the price of the canvas bag at Store A.

Store A:

• 1 can: $3.50 + $2 (canvas bag) = $5.50
• 2 cans: $5 + $2 (canvas bag) = $7.00
• 3 cans: $6.50 + $2 (canvas bag) = $8.50
• 4 cans: $8 + $2 (canvas bag) = $10.00
• 5 cans: $9.50 + $2 (canvas bag) = $11.50

Store B (no bag fee):

• 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 |

Based on this comparison, Store B is cheaper for all quantities of cans since it does not charge for bags, while Store A adds a $2 cost for the bag.

Conclusion:

Christine should choose Store B to buy the green beans, as it will save her family money on the total purchase.