Read a Receipt and Check Your Change
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What you will learn
- 1Name the parts of a store receipt
- 2Check each item and price on a receipt
- 3Count up from the total to the amount paid to check your change
- 4Ask politely, with your grown-up, when the change or a price is wrong
- 5Keep receipts in case you need to return an item
Mini Lesson
A receipt is the little paper you get at the checkout. It is a record of what you bought, what it cost, and what you paid. People sometimes make mistakes, and machines can too. Reading the receipt and counting your change takes less than a minute. It is a smart habit to check before you walk away from the checkout.
🏠 The Life Skills Way (step by step)
- STORE NAME AND DATE: the top shows where you shopped and when. This matters if you ever need to bring something back.
- ITEMS AND PRICES: each thing you bought is on its own line with its price. Check that every item is yours and is only there once.
- SUBTOTAL: the cost of all the items added together, before anything else is added.
- TAX: in some places, a small amount is added to the price. It shows as its own line. Your grown-up can tell you if your area has it.
- TOTAL: the final amount you must pay. This is the number that matters most.
- AMOUNT PAID AND CHANGE: how much money you handed over, and how much the cashier gave back to you.
🪙 Count Up Your Change
- START AT THE TOTAL: say the total out loud, for example $7.
- COUNT UP: count up to the money you paid. $7 to $8, $9, $10 - that is $3.
- CHECK IT: the money in your hand should match. If it does, say thank you.
- IF IT IS WRONG: stay at the checkout, show the receipt, and politely ask the cashier to check, with your grown-up beside you.
Shop with your grown-up and let them handle any problem with money. If the change looks wrong, stay calm and polite - mistakes happen. Keep money in a zippered pocket or a wallet, and count it at the checkout, not out on the street. Never hand money or a card to anyone except the cashier at the checkout.
Words to know
receipt
A paper record of what you bought, what it cost, and what you paid.
e.g. I checked the receipt before we left the store.
subtotal
The cost of all the items added together, before anything else is added.
e.g. The subtotal was $8.50.
tax
A small amount added to the price in some places.
e.g. The receipt showed 50 cents of tax.
total
The final amount you must pay.
e.g. The total came to $9.
change
The money you get back when you pay more than the total.
e.g. I paid with a $10 bill and got $1 in change.
cashier
The person at the checkout who takes the money.
e.g. We politely asked the cashier to check the change.
💡 Handy Tip: keep receipts in one envelope at home. If something breaks or does not fit, the receipt shows when and where you bought it, which helps when you return or exchange it.
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