Session 3 Role Play
Christmas Shopping with Sam and Irene
Narrator: Sam and Irene are walking through the mall in
Farmington two weeks before Christmas
Irene: So Sam, I’m a little worried this year about buying gifts for
the kids. I keep hearing about how bad this economy is. A lot of
people are losing their jobs.
Sam: I know. A lot of places around town are laying people off. My
buddy, Irvin, was laid off last week. But we’ll be ok. My job at the
hospital isn’t in danger of being cut, and your job is safe too. Plus
you always have a lot of orders for your beadwork this time of year.
Irene: Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Hey! Let’s stop in at the
Footlocker. Junior’s been wanting a pair of those fancy new Jordan
Basketball shoes, the ones with all that shiny chrome on the heels.
Narrator: Sam and Irene buy the cool shoes and a few other gifts.
Sam writes a check but forgets to record the transaction in his check
register.
Irene: Let’s get some lunch over at the food court. I really like
those chicken bowls they sell at the Teriyaki place.
Sam: Sure, but we’ve got to hit an ATM. They only take cash at
that place you want to go. I guess I should have stopped at the ATM
on the way over here. Sometimes those ATM’s from other banks
charge a fee.
Irene: Oh well, let’s not worry about it, it’s Christmas! Oh look
there’s an ATM right here. How convenient!
Narrator: Sam and Irene make a withdrawal from an ATM that
charges a fee. Irene hastily grabs the receipt and throws it into her
purse.
Sam: That sure was a tasty lunch. Reminds me of the kind of meals
I used to have back when I was working in the oilfields.
Irene (rolling her eyes): Oh yes………back during you’re young
and rowdy days. You and all of your old pow wow girls, huh Romeo?
Sam: Hey what are you talking about…..I met you at a pow wow!
Irene: Whatever……that was different. Oh that reminds me did you
deposit the check I got Tuesday for the beaded bracelet I sold. I
signed my name on the back so you could make the deposit.
Sam: No, I didn’t get a chance. I think it’s still sitting on the table
near the TV set.
Irene: Sam! We need to deposit that check. I don’t know if I have
enough money in the account to cover all of these checks we’ve
written today.
Sam: Oh, relax, Babe……..there’s plenty of time before those
checks from today clear through the bank. I’ll deposit the check first
thing in the morning.
Narrator: The next day Sam and Irene search frantically through
the house but they can’t find the check.
Irene (angry and frustrated): Gosh darnit, Sam! Why didn’t you
just deposit the check right away like I told you? You always do stuff
like this. Geez, I wonder where it could have vanished?
Sam: Hey that no good, unemployed brother of yours came by
yesterday morning to borrow some tools. I’ll bet he took it. It
wouldn’t be the first time he ripped us off.
Irene: Oh sure blame my family! But even if he did, so what?
Remember I signed the back of the check, he can’t cash it.
Sam: I’m calling the bank just to make sure.
Narrator: Sam calls the bank and they confirm that the check was
cashed the day before. They also explain that because Irene used a
blank endorsement anyone could legally cash the check.
Irene (confused): Geez, I never knew there was a special way to
sign the back of a check. What are we gonna do Sam?
Sam: I don’t know, Irene. I’m sorry I didn’t cash the check right
away like you told me. But let’s take a look at the check register and
see how much money we have in the account. Maybe we have
enough to cover all of the checks we wrote yesterday at the mall.
Where do we keep the register?
Irene: I think it’s on the shelf in the bedroom. I keep it inside a
little cedar box along with an extra debit card and a list of PIN
numbers. That way we have everything we need to know nice and
handy.
Narrator: Sam finds the check register, but now they can’t find all
of their receipts from yesterday’s shopping trip.
Sam: Geez Irene. I thought you were gonna hold onto all those
receipts from yesterday?
Irene: I’m sorry Sam. I know they’re here in my purse somewhere.
We should have taken the check register with us and written
everything down right away.
Sam: I know, but we were having so much fun shopping. I didn’t
want to bother. I really hope those checks don’t bounce. What are
we going to do, Irene?
Narrator: What should Sam and Irene do?
Banking Activity Worksheet
1. List five mistakes Sam and Irene made while managing
their checking account:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2. Provide five money smart tips to help Sam and Irene easily
avoid each of these costly mistakes in the future:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
3. What is the proper way to endorse a check:
Endorse Here
Do not write or stamp below this line