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WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WEEK OVERVIEW

It was an opportunity to learn, a chance to explore the neighborhood supermarket – and a chance to get out of class for a day.

But most of all, the 2008 celebration of Arizona Weights and Measures Week was a day of fun, and an opportunity to put some math skills to good use. More than 500 students from Yuma, Tucson, South Scottsdale, Mesa and Flagstaff received lessons in how to be better consumers and how to get some more value by recycling their plastic grocery bags.

The annual celebration was a joint venture between the Department of Weights and Measures, The Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, and staff from Fry’s, Albertson’s, Bashas’/Food City and Safeway supermarkets.

“It was an uplifting event that provided valuable lessons to youth from around the state,” said Seth Mones, Acting Director for The Department of Weights and Measures. “A lot of people, including our staff and some partners in the retail industry, worked very hard to make these events a success.”

The students came from working-class neighborhoods in each city. Participating schools included Carver Elementary School in Yuma, Esperanza Elementary School in Tucson’s Sunnyside Unified School District, Ingleside Middle School in South Scottsdale, Emerson Elementary School in Mesa, and Puente de Hozho Bilingual Magnet Elementary School in the Flagstaff Unified School District.

The students heard an official proclamation from Governor Janet Napolitano, who declared March 2-8 as Weights and Measures Week. She noted in her proclamation that Congress established a national weights and measures law on March 2, 1799, “citing the need for uniform weights and measures as a public service … since all business or commerce function on a weight or measure.”

The kids then visited separate areas of the store, where they learned the following:

• Recycling: Students were told about a new program, established by the Food Marketing Alliance, which encourages consumers to reuse plastic grocery bags. Recycling these bags reduces the amount of material going into local landfills, reduces litter, and helps to reduce consumption of plastic, which is derived from petroleum.
• What is Tare: When a store sells items based on their weight, they deduct the weight of the packaging, or “Tare.” Weights and Measures showed how the tare amount is listed on meat, fish or fowl, and how the tare is not included in the net weight.
• Produce: Students were encouraged to figure out how money they could save by purchasing produce in bulk. Students were shown how the price for a five-pound bag of onions or potatoes is often cheaper than selecting individual items, provided the consumer will use them in a timely manner.
• Price Posting and Unit Pricing: Weights and Measures staff showed students how to read unit pricing labels on store shelves to determine whether the “economy-sized” package really is cheaper than a smaller package. In some cases, the convenience of buying a smaller package may make sense. For example, a two-liter soft drink bottle may be cheaper than a six-pack of cans, but if they were going on a field trip, the cans make more sense.
• Price Accuracy: Store personnel allowed the students to check prices on some of their certain items, and students learned what to do if they’re mistakenly charged the wrong price at checkout. State law requires all stores to have a written price-error policy, and many supermarkets give customers one miss-priced item for free if it costs less than $5.

In addition, each student received a gift bag containing items donated by the stores and by the Department of Weights and Measures, along with items provided by the Arizona Diamondbacks, The Arizona Cardinals, and Clear Channel radio. “It was good information,” wrote Jazmin Cordova of Yuma, in an essay prepared after her field trip. “I learned a lot (about) how to do weights and measures, and it was really fun. Thank you for all the gifts.”