Britain Educates Shoppers on Calculating Bargains

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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And our last word in your money today is off Wall Street and on Main Street. It's for those who spend long minutes at the mall trying to figure out if that buy-one-get-the-second-half-off is really a good deal, or just what it means when a pair of shoes costing 42.99 is 30 percent off.

In Britain, officials are so worried about shoppers' basic math skills, its Department of Education and Skills is offering 200,000 sales calculators to shoppers. It's also sending out teams of tutors to help consumers calculate those post-Christmas sales promotions.

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