Comparison Shopping

Recently, we had the grand opening of an Aldi store near us. I have heard a lot of great things about this store, so I had high hopes for it. After lunch, my husband, daughter and I ventured to the new store.

It was interesting that the prices at our store were different than the prices of the store near my daughter. She also talked about the different things that were in our store compared to her store.

I also noticed that there wasn’t a lot of things available that we normally use so there weren’t many bargains for us. Many of the things that we do use were cheaper at Walmart than this store.

So overall, I was excited at first to hear this store was opening near us and then disappointed that I wouldn’t be saving any money by shopping there.

Comparison shopping is an important skill to teach my students. I want them to be able to stretch their money further than expected so that they can buy more of the things they need. They also need to learn the difference between need and want. Many things they need should come before they get the things they want. It is important not to buy something the first time you see it but instead think about the different stores that you go to frequently. If it is somewhere that you normally shop, then it would be better to buy it there. But if you have to go far out of your way to get it, it might be better to pay the higher price. The more the students practice comparison shopping, the easier it will be. 

How do you teach students to comparison shop? Please share.