1) How do you feel about shopping?

I love going shopping, especially bargain hunting in the sales. Every few months I go into the city on
a shopping spree with my friends.
2) What types of shops do you use regularly?
I go to the supermarket once a week for my groceries, although I buy all my meat from the local butcher.
When I go into town, I always have a browse around the department stores.
3) What changes have you seen in those shops in the past few years?
I’ve noticed that the supermarket seems to sell a wider range of goods and services every year. They now
even have their own pharmacy. I think that the main difference in the department store in an improvement
in their customer service.
4) Do you like shopping on the internet?
Yes, I do enjoy shopping online. You have so much choice on the internet and it’s easy to shop around.
Also, you can purchase things immediately and they are often delivered the next day. It’s much quicker
than waiting until you have time to go into town.
5) What kinds of things do you buy online?
I purchase books, electrical goods, gifts, stationery and, in fact, most everyday products on the internet.
It’s really only clothes and shoes that I always buy on the high street as I like to try them on first.

Describe your favorite shop.

You should say:
 where it is
 what it sells
 how often you go there
and explain why you think it is a good shop.
I particularly like browsing shops that sell outdoor wear, things like waterproof jackets, walking boots,
hiking trousers and rucksacks. There are several in my home town but my favourite is called No Sweat.
It’s an independent store and they stock all the big brand names in outdoor gear.
Their goods are expensive but top quality
One reason I enjoy shopping there is their excellent customer service. The sales assistants are very helpful
and do their best to advise you on the best products for your needs. They never try and give you the hard
sell and will recommend a different brand that they don’t sell if they think it would suit you better.
They are extremely knowledgeable about outdoor gear, which is more than can be said of the shop
assistants in similar stores in town. The other retail outlets are chain stores and they don’t give you the
same personal service or feeling of confidence that they really know what they’re talking about.
I can’t say that I go to No Sweat very often but I always pop in for a spot of bargain hunting if they have
a sale on or if I need something in particular. I try to avoid the shop otherwise as it’s just too tempting to
spend money I can’t really afford. If I want something like an expensive new jacket, I generally save
up for it.
The last time I went there was to buy a new pair of walking boots. By chance, they had an offer on a
fabulous lightweight waterproof jacket in my favourite colour. It was at a real knock-down price so I just
had to buy that as well. I also bought a couple of t-shirts that were reduced. It all added up to quite a lot of
money but they gave me a free pair of walking socks and some stuff to clean my new boots. They usually
give you free products if you make a large purchase. It makes you feel valued as a customer.
I think that’s why the shop has been so successful when most independent stores are struggling to
compete with the big high street names. It’s because of the way they value their customers and give good
value for money.
1) Do you agree or disagree that women spend more time shopping than men?
I would definitely say that women go shopping more often than men and also spend longer looking for
what they want. For a start, it is usually women who buy the groceries each week and also clothes for the
children if they have a family. Many women I know purchase most of their husband’s clothes as well
because their men hate shopping.
I think this is less the case with younger men as they are more fashion conscious and happy to hit the
shops themselves. Brand named clothes are a status symbol with the younger generation as they like to
dress to impress. Men more readily pay for expensive items, especially the latest electronic gadgets, and
aren’t too bothered about discounts.
For women, shopping is often a social activity done with friends. It’s common to go window
shopping and my sister’s idea of a fun morning is browsing the second-hand shops in town. You never see
men doing either of these things.
2) Do people generally prefer to buy products from their own or from other countries?
I think it varies very much from person to person. On the one hand, there’s an increasing number of
people who choose to buy their meat and vegetables from farm shops rather than supermarkets. This is
partly to support the local economy but also because they are concerned that transporting produce around
the world is contributing to global warming.
Unfortunately, supermarket products are often cheaper despite having travelled many miles to the shops.
For example, I live in the countryside and can see sheep out of my window and yet it’s cheaper to buy
lamb from New Zealand, 11,000 miles away, than it is to purchase local lamb.
So, on the other hand, you have people on a low budget who are forced
to buy cheaper supermarket imports even if they don’t want to.
With most goods other than food, there’s often little choice but to buy foreign imports as most things in
the shops come from abroad.
3) Why do you think some people purchase things that they do not need?
In my opinion, unnecessary purchases are made for several reasons. Firstly, many people, especially the
younger generation, like to have the latest gadgets and fashions so they quickly discard old stuff. We have
become a real throwaway society. Also, they want to have the same products as their friends whether they
need them or not.
Secondly, these days we tend to have more spare cash to buy luxuries that our parents would not have
been able to afford at our age.
Finally, I think that aggressive advertising convinces people that they need things that they don’t and, of
course, the internet encourages impulse buying as shopping online is so quick and easy.
Go shopping – to go to the shops to buy things
- I won’t be home until 6pm tonight because I’m going shopping after work.
Do the shopping – the activity of buying items from shops
- I hate doing the shopping as it’s always so crowded in the supermarket.
goods – things that are sold
- Department stores have a wide range of goods on sale.
Window shopping – the activity of looking at goods for sale, especially in shop window displays,
without the intention of buying anything
- One of my favorite activities on a Saturday is to go window shopping with my friends to see the latest
fashions.
Bargain hunting – looking for products that are good value for money, usually because they are on sale
at a lower price than normal
- I love bargain hunting and feel great when I find something I need at a knock-down price.
Shop around – compare prices before buying something
- I always shop around before buying high value items as prices can vary considerably.
Browse – looking at things in one or more shops without a firm intention to buy anything
- When I go into town, I often browse around the clothes shops to see if I can pick up any bargains.
retail therapy – the practice of buying things in order to make yourself feel better when you are unhappy
- I need some retail therapy to help me get over the disappointment of not getting a promotion at work.
Go on a shopping spree – a short period of time in which someone buys a lot of things
- I’ll have to go on a shopping spree before my holiday next month as I’ve lost so much weight that my
beachwear doesn’t fit me anymore.
Hit the shops / stores – to go on a shopping spree
- I’m taking a bus into the city with some friends on Saturday and we’re going to hit the shops.
An impulse buy – an unplanned purchase when something is bought suddenly without careful thought
- My waterproof jacket was an impulse buy as I was actually looking for some new walking boots, but it
was such a bargain that I just had to get it.
A shopaholic – someone who loves shopping and does it often, sometimes to the point of it being an
addiction
- My friend Sally is a true shopaholic but I do worry about her as she can’t really afford all the designer
clothes she buys.
Try on – to put on an item of clothing to see if it fits or looks good
- Can I try on these two dresses please as I’m not sure which size will fit me best?
Take something back – return an unwanted item to a shop
- I’m going to have to take this jacket back to the shop as the color doesn’t match my skirt.
Return an item - to take or send something back to the retail outlet it was purchased from
- I’ll have to return the jumper I bought online as they sent the wrong size.
Exchange – change an item that has been purchased for a different one
- The shirt I bought my dad for his birthday is too large so I’m going to exchange it for a smaller one.
For sale – available to buy
- I was really impressed by the quality of goods for sale in the new furniture shop in town.
Shopping list – a list of the things you want to buy when you go shopping
- I always take a shopping list when I go to the supermarket so that I don’t forget anything.
Customer service – any activity designed to increase the level of customer satisfaction, such as help them
find finding the right product and guidance about its use
- I was really impressed with the customer service at the computer shop as a sales assistant helped me to
choose the best laptop for my needs rather than trying to sell me a more expensive one.
Give someone the hard sell – try to sell someone something in a forceful way
- When I said I needed to go away and think about it before buying the car, the salesman tried the hard
sell on me.
Shoplifting - take goods from a shop without paying for them
- My cousin was caught shoplifting again and might be sent to prison this time.
Shop online / internet shopping – to buy things over the internet
- It’s really popular to do your grocery shopping online these days and have it delivered to your house.
- The increase in internet shopping is leading to many local shops closing down
Order – to request a product over the internet or from a shop when the required item is not in stock
- I must remember to go online and order the computer game my brother wants for his birthday or it won’t
arrive in time.
Shopper – a person who is shopping
- It was the start of the summer sales and the high street was packed with shoppers.
Customer – a person who buys goods or services from a shop or business
- I like to do my shopping early in the morning before the shops get busy with customers.
Retailer – a business or person that sells goods to individual customers, as opposed to a wholesaler or
supplier, who normally sell their goods to another business
- Although supermarkets are primarily food retailers, they also sell many other things such as electrical
goods and clothing.
Bargain hunter – someone who is looking for goods that are very good value for money, usually because
they are on sale at a lower price than normal
- My sister is a keen dedicated bargain hunter and rarely pays full price for anything.
Shop assistant / Sales assistant – a person who serves customers in a shop
- These days, shop assistants are often too busy chatting to one another to help their customers.
Cashier - the person who takes the money in a shop
- The cashiers were all busy and I had to join a queue to pay for my groceries.
Market trader / market vendor – a person who runs a stall at a market
- I was late getting into town and many of the market traders were already packing away their stalls.
Store detective – a person employed by a store to detect and prevent theft from the store by shoplifters.
- The store detective stopped the man as he was leaving the store and discovered a stolen bottle of wine in
his coat pocket.
Shop / store / retail outlet – a place where customers can buy goods
- My favorite shop / store / retail outlet to visit when I’m in London is Harrods.
Chain store – a group of shops that belong to one company
- These days, most towns in the UK are full of chain stores and there are very few independent retailers
left.
Independent store – shops not owned by large companies
- When I want to buy a special outfit for a wedding, I shop in an independent store so that I can be sure
that no one else will be wearing the same thing.
Department store – a large shop that sells different types of items in different areas or departments of the
store
- The department store in our town sells everything from clothes and shoes to bedding, kitchenware and
cosmetics.
Convenience store – a small local shop that is open for long hours and sells a limited range of everyday
food and other goods
- If we run out of bread or milk, I send one of the kids down to the convenience store at the end of the
road to buy some.
Supermarket – a large shop that sells mainly food and household items
- I buy most of our food at the supermarket, although I do like to go to the local butcher for meat.
Discount store – a shop that sells goods at less than the normal retail price
- Having a motor parts discount store near my home means that I can keep my car on the road quite
cheaply.
Grocery – shop that sells groceries (the collective term for items of food sold in a grocery or
supermarket)
- I hope that our local grocery store doesn’t close down now that a big supermarket has been build near
town.
Greengrocer – person or shop that sells fresh fruit and vegetables
- When I was young I was always given a free apple when I went to the greengrocer with my mum.
Butcher – person or shop that sells fresh meat
- My butcher makes the best sausages in the area.
Bakery – shop that sells fresh bread and cakes
- Fresh bread from a bakery always tastes much better than bread bought from a supermarket.
Fishmonger – person or shop that sells fresh fish
- Our fishmonger buys his fish straight off the local fishing boats so it’s very fresh.
Farm shop – a shop which sells produce from a farm directly to the public
- Buying from a farm shop helps to support the local economy and guarantees the produce is fresh.
Factory outlet - a store that sells goods (sometimes it is damaged or out of date) that comes directly from
the factory more cheaply than those sold in retail stores