The Convenience Store Receipt Puzzle
You are reading a short Japanese notice posted in a convenience store. The notice says that from next month, plastic bags will cost 5 yen, but customers who bring their own bag get a 2-yen discount on one item. A second line says the discount does not apply to hot food. You need to answer a reading question: a customer buys a hot bento and a cold drink, brings their own bag, and asks whether they pay for a bag. The notice uses 「レジ袋」 and 「対象外」. You must answer in English with reference to the Japanese text.
1. Does the customer pay for a plastic bag? Justify using the notice's wording.
Read the worked answer
Answer: No, the customer does not pay for a plastic bag if they bring their own bag.
Reasoning:
- The notice states bags cost 5 yen from next month, but bringing your own bag avoids that charge.
- The 2-yen discount is a separate benefit; it applies to eligible items, not to the bag charge itself.
- The hot bento is 「対象外」 for the discount, so no 2-yen discount applies to it. The cold drink may qualify.
Key distinction: The bag charge and the item discount are two different mechanisms. Bringing your own bag removes the bag charge regardless of the hot-food exclusion. The exclusion only removes the discount on the hot item.
2. A classmate claims the customer gets a 2-yen discount on the whole purchase. Identify the error and explain the correct reading.
Read the worked answer
Error: The classmate conflates a per-item discount with a whole-purchase discount, and ignores the hot-food exclusion.
Correct reading:
- 「対象外」 means the hot bento is excluded from the discount.
- The discount, if any, applies only to eligible items such as the cold drink, not to the total.
- The bag charge is waived by bringing a bag, independent of the discount.
Model answer: 「温かい食品は割引の対象外なので、弁当には2円の割引は適用されません。対象となる商品にのみ割引が適用されます。」 This shows control of the exclusion and avoids overgeneralising.