A hotel gift shop ordered 10 T-shirts at \( \$ 7.07 \) each, 50 hats at \( \$ 4.74 \) each, and 30 beach towels at \( \$ 4.38 \) each. What was the total cost of the merchandise, including the \( \$ 22.08 \) sales tax?

To find the total cost of the merchandise, we start by calculating the cost for each item. For the T-shirts: \( 10 \times 7.07 = 70.70 \). For the hats: \( 50 \times 4.74 = 237.00 \). For the beach towels: \( 30 \times 4.38 = 131.40 \). Adding these together gives \( 70.70 + 237.00 + 131.40 = 439.10 \). Finally, we add the sales tax: \( 439.10 + 22.08 = 461.18 \). Therefore, the total cost of the merchandise is \( \$ 461.18 \). Would you like to know more about how to keep track of expenses for gift shop inventory? Or perhaps tips for creating the perfect sales tax calculation system?