The Market Stall Shortchange
A free A1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Rasa suspects she was shortchanged at her favorite market stall, but the mistake turns out to be her own.
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Rasa shops at the outdoor market every Friday. She buys fruit from the same stall each time. A vendor named Tavish runs the stall.
Today Rasa buys apples, pears, and a bag of nuts. She hands Tavish a large bill. He counts out her change fast.
Rasa puts the coins in her pocket. She walks to her car with her bags. Something feels wrong about the change.
She stops and counts the coins again. The amount looks too small. Rasa checks her receipt carefully.
She looks at the prices on the paper. Then she checks her own math again. Rasa forgets to add the nuts.
The mistake is hers, not the vendor's. She feels a little silly about it. She walks back to the stall anyway.
"Tavish," Rasa says. "I made a mistake with my math." She explains the missing amount for the nuts.
"That happens all the time," Tavish says. "Thank you for coming back." Rasa pays the extra amount right away.
She picks up her bags again. Tavish waves and calls out, "See you next Friday!" Rasa waves back and walks to her car.
