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Today's request comes from Poland. I hope I'm pronouncing the name correctly when I say that Mariusz has written, I love your website, but I would like to find here a video about shopping. I searched and searched and could not find anything in here with this interesting subject.
Well, shopping is an immense subject and it's hard to know where to begin.
We, the customers, go to the shops to buy or purchase something. We make a transaction with the owner of the shop and they provide us with goods in exchange for money.
We can pay using cash or plastic. Plastic includes credit cards and debit cards. The main difference between the two is that you need money in your bank account if you want to use a debit card, but you borrow money on a credit card.
Cash comes in the form or coins or paper money. Coins are called change while paper money is called bills or notes. Each coin and note comes in different denominations - that is to say each is worth a different amount of money.
I carry my money and my debit card in my wallet. Women carry theirs in their purse.
Supermarkets and departments stores are not specialised shops and sell all kinds of goods. Other shops like butchers and bakers sell meat and bread respectively.
Other shops specialise in things like domestic goods. These include things like washing machines and vacuum cleaners. We call these domestic appliance shops, or electrical stores.
You can buy clothes in a clothes shop, cold meats and cheese in a delicatessen, and fruit and vegetables at a greengrocer or on the market.
Clothes are sold by item while most food items are sold by weight. The butcher, baker, greengrocer and fishmonger will first weigh your purchase on a set of scales and then tell you the price you must pay for the items.
If there is too much food on the scales, you can say, "Can I have a little less, please?" If there is not enough, you can say, "A little more, please."
Fresh fish is bought from a fishmonger, while cooked fish and chips can be bought in the fish shop or a chippy. Fish and chips are a very popular British fast food.
When you have decided what you want to buy in a shop, the shop assistant will enter the details in the till. The till will issue a receipt after you pay for your items. You need the receipt if you want to return the items to the shop for a refund or to exchange them.
If you like beer, you can go to the off-licence. There you can buy bottled or canned alcoholic drink to take back to your home. If you want to have a relaxing drink while you are shopping you can go to a pub, a bar or a café.
If you don't have much money, but you love shopping, you can go window shopping. This is to browse the shops without actually buying things.
When you walk into a shop you may be greeted by the shop assistant who might well ask, "Can I help you?"
The standard reply to this question is, "No, thank you. I'm just looking."
If you are buying clothes, you might want to try them on first to see that they fit and suit you. You can try them on in a changing room. You might want to ask the shop assistant where the changing rooms are.
"Excuse me. Is there somewhere I could try this on?"
The shop assistant will normally put your purchase in a bag for you to carry home. Items that are too big to be carried home can be delivered. There may be a charge for delivery, so it's best to check first.
"Do you deliver?" and "Is there a delivery charge or is it included in the price?"
You might also want to know if you can pay for the items when they arrive at your house. We call this cash on delivery. For expensive items like washing machines or televisions you might have to pay a deposit first. This will usually be around 10%. If you are serious about improving your English, then perfecting your accent should be an important part of the process. Visit my pronunciation website at http://soundsbritish.com where you can download free sample copies of my eBook, An Interactive British English IPA Chart, and the 2000+ question Practice Pack that goes with it. Invest in your future today. If you are serious about improving your English, then perfecting your accent should be an important part of the process. Visit my pronunciation website at http://soundsbritish.com where you can download free sample copies of my eBook, An Interactive British English IPA Chart, and the 2000+ question Practice Pack that goes with it. Invest in your future today.
