The stock consisted of pencils, rulers, penholders, erasers, spelling blanks, tablets, scratch pads, paint boxes, extra brushes, new pans of colors, boxes of crayons, loose-leaf notebook covers and notebook paper. All of these supplies except the notebook covers and paper were ordered from the local dealers. Find the amount of each of the items in their first order:

The teacher will find it much better to organize a store on this plan and let the arithmetic be based on the real activity. In such a situation this section of the book can be used by the pupils for suggestions as to how to carry on their business.

17. Find the total amount of their first order of supplies.

Exercise 95. Ordering Goods

1. Imagine that you are the Fifth Grade and write a business letter to a book store, giving the following order: 20 looseleaf notebook covers at $0.25 a pair; 8 reams of white notebook paper at $1.50 a ream and 4 reams of yellow paper at $0.90 a ream.

If you do not know the proper form of a business letter, look it up in your grammar or some book on English composition.

2. The class sent a postal money order to pay for these supplies. From the following rates find the amount paid for the money order.

In addition to the amount of the money order the post office charges a fee for the various amounts as follows:

To send orders from $

0.01 to $ 2.50 costs 3 cents extra.
2.51 to

5.01 to 10.00 to

5.00 costs 5 cents extra. 10.00 costs 8 cents extra. 20.00 costs 10 cents extra.

They sent in the

To send orders from To send orders from To send orders from 3. Another class also organized a store. following order for supplies: 15 notebook covers at $0.25; 2 reams of white notebook paper at $1.50 and 1 ream of yellow paper at $0.90. Write a business letter ordering these supplies.

4. Find the total cost of a money order to pay for the supplies ordered in Problem 3.

Exercise 96. Selling Goods

The store opened for business Wednesday, September 6, although the notebook covers and paper did not arrive until Friday. A record of each sale was made on a sales slip like the one shown on page 129. The sales slip was given to the cashier when the goods were paid for, and he placed it on a spindle to keep for figuring up the accounts of the business.

The following sales were made September 6. Find the amount of each sales slip.

1. One spelling blank, 1 paint box, 1 ruler, 1 five-cent pencil, 2 one-cent pencils, 1 cork-tipped penholder, 1 Old Glory tablet.

2. One ruler, 1 box crayons, 2 pans of color, 1 brush, 2 scratch pads, 2 two-for-five-cent pencils, 1 Old Glory tablet, 1 spelling blank.

3. One paint box, 1 spelling blank, 1 Old Glory tablet, 1 rubber-tipped penholder, 1 scratch pad, 1 ink and pencil eraser, 5 one-cent pencils.

4. One spelling blank, 1 five-cent pencil, 1 cork-tipped penholder, 2 pans of color, 3 scratch pads, 1 Old Glory tablet, 1 ruler.

5. One ruler, 1 spelling blank, 4 two-for-five-cent pencils, 1 Old Glory tablet, 2 pans of color, 1 pan of gold paint.

6. Two rulers, 3 spelling blanks, 8 two-for-five-cent pencils, 2 pencil erasers, 2 cork-tipped penholders, 1 box crayons, 2 boxes of paints.

7. Three Old Glory tablets, 4 scratch pads, 1 rubber-tipped penholder, 2 five-cent pencils, 4 pans of color, 2 spelling blanks. 8. One tablet, 2 spelling blanks, 1 scratch pad, 4 one-cent pencils, 2 rulers.

9. Find the total amount of the first day's sales.

1Since there was no expense connected with the supplies secured through the local dealer, it was decided to sell these supplies at cost.

Exercise 97. Taking an Inventory

It is the custom in most stores to take an inventory at least once a year. To take an inventory is to count and make a record of all unsold stock and state its value based on its cost. The class took an inventory of their stock September 8.

8. Find the value for each item and also for each division of the inventory.

9. Add the column. of totals for each division and find the total value of all the stock listed.

10. Prepare an inventory of the school supplies in your room. Use a school supply catalogue to get the prices of the various articles.

Exercise 98. Providing for the Extra Expenses

Since the class had to pay express and a money-order fee in securing the notebook covers and paper, it was decided to sell the paper at a price slightly above the cost in order to provide for these extra expenses.

1. A ream of white paper weighed 6 pounds and cost $1.50. Most of it was sold at the rate of pound for $.15. What was the selling price of a pound?

2. At this rate what was the selling price of a ream?

3. Find the gain on 4 reams sold in this way.

4. The yellow paper weighed 3 pounds to the ream and cost $.90 per ream. Find the gain on 1 ream sold at $.35 a pound.

5. How much was gained on 2 reams sold in this way? 6. Find the gain on 4 reams sold in this way.

Exercise 99 The Cash Account

In order to keep a record of the store's business, the class kept a cash account, showing the amounts received and the amounts paid out. This cash account was balanced each week as shown in the form on the next page:.

The cashier added up the sales slips to find the total sales for the day and compared that amount with the increase in his cash box to see that he had made no mistakes in giving change.