MARK MY WORD: PLAYING `STORE' IS TAX-FREE FUN FOR 5-YEAR-OLD MARKETER

When you're 5, you don't need real money. Besides, nothing makes your day like selling empty Jell-O boxes.

Playing "store" is fun when you're 5.

You don't have to worry about the payroll or taxes or government red tape.

It's good for the consumer, too. You don't need real money to shop in my daughter Becca's pretend store.

She loans you the imaginary money to "buy" the merchandise.

The only down side is that you have to return the merchandise, generally children's books, so she can sell them to you all over again.

She even has a toy cash register that beeps to help her engage in commerce.

It's clearly a supply and demand thing. At home, it mostly involves "demand."

She likes to play store with me. I guess you could say I am her number one customer.

Of course, 17-month-old Bailey wants to join in these economic games too, but Becca isn't wild about Bailey as a customer.

As a customer, Bailey isn't one to follow the rules. Give her the merchandise and she often just walks off with the stuff, which pretty much closes down the store.

A large, plastic playhouse serves as Becca's store. Becca likes the place because she can close the door and the shutters to keep people out.

Browsing is discouraged in her place, and she seldom bags any of the stuff you "buy."

Being a guy, this is all new stuff to me.

When I was growing up, playing "store" was the last thing I wanted to do.

As a child, I loved to dig paths through our gravel driveway with my toy road grader.

I built more roads than most contractors. Of course, my roads never held up.

I remember playing Prince Valiant on my stick horse. But opening a store wasn't on my must-do list.

I thought about this the other day when we visited my mom and dad in St. Louis.

Becca loves to visit grandma because she plays games with her.

On our most recent visit, grandma and Becca played store with empty Jell-O and other food boxes for groceries and blue milk-bottle caps for money.

They played the game much of the afternoon. Becca was thrilled.

For once, she was rolling in money. Never mind that it was bottle caps.

When you're 5, you don't need all that green stuff to feel rich. Besides, nothing makes your day like selling empty Jell-O boxes.

It is a marketer's dream. Everything is in the packaging.

The great thing about Becca's and grandma's brand of commerce is that you don't have to worry about restocking the shelves.

And when you get tired of waiting on people, you can trade places.

The IRS wouldn't like Becca's business. There are no taxes to collect.

At Becca's age, the profit is in the fun, not in the bank.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.