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One of the most popular and most profitable businesses in AmeriTowne is the Snack Shop. Inside, AmeriTowne citizens gather at the counter enjoy tasty treats with friends while Snack Shop Cashiers busily serve their customers. 
Thanks to Ronald McDonald House® Charities of Denver, students gain valuable real life experience in sales and customer service while working in the Snack Shop. The shop offers three different products provided by local McDonald’s owners/operators, so Managers, Accountants, and Cashiers work together to adjust prices in response to customer demand. A price too high means that customers cannot afford their products—an $8.00 lemonade is nearly 1/3 of a customer’s paycheck! A price too low could result in a loan default. The Snack Shop takes out a $274 bank loan to operate the business, and must pay back the loan, plus 10% interest, by the end of the day.
In AmeriTowne, the shop with the best customer service can win a prize. As a result, Snack Shop employees take to heart their lessons about sales, service, and quality control. Besides quickly and accurately filling orders, Cashiers are encouraged to use the magic words please, thank you, and I’m sorry. A “Magic Word” reminder sign is posted on the shop’s bulletin board.
In AmeriTowne, students do more than role play; they become actual employees of a business like the McDonald’s Snack Shop with real customers and a loan to repay with interest. Busy students scarcely realize the valuable learning that’s taking place!
About Ronald McDonald House Charities of Denver
Since 1979, Ronald McDonald House® Charities of Denver has offered a loving home away from home to families needing to be near their seriously ill or injured children while they’re being treated at metropolitan area hospitals. Since 2002, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Denver has partnered with local Denver McDonald’s owners and operators to support young learners at Young Americans Center.
