SHOPPING
Products
           Activities                                   Places
           related to
            shopping
                                SHOPPING
           Persons in                                   Paying
             a shop                                    methods
                                  Things/
                                 objects in
                                   a shop
Task 1: Group the following words and fill in the relevant parts of the
chart. (There are some extra words that you do not have to use at all).
customer            trolley            discount          lunch voucher
to mend             items              goods             bargain hunter
label               shopper            to purchase       armchair
buyer               rows               shopaholism       manager
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by credit card      till               addiction           in cash
grocery             consumer society   latest fashion      basket
shoe shop           market             trendy clothes      chemist’s
souvenir shop       medicine           fashionable rings   bakery products
stationary          jeweller’s         butcher’s           dairy products
furniture shop      hypermarket        drug store          mall
to complain about   plaza              price tag           corner shop
something
queue               vegetables         to buy sg on credit to exchange
                                                           products
guarantee card      valid              to validate the     cashier
                                       guarantee card
Task 2: Extra vocabulary: Define the following words/ phrases with the help
of your own words. What do the following words mean? (Mention examples).
1. To bargain__________________________________________________
2. Discount___________________________________________________
3. VAT______________________________________________________
4. Consumer__________________________________________________
5. To dispose__________________________________________________
6. Invalid_____________________________________________________
7. To buy something on hire purchase________________________________
8. To be dissatisfied with something________________________________
9. Brand_____________________________________________________
10. Price-conscious shopper_______________________________________
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Task 3: Picture description: Speak about the topic for at least three
minutes.
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Task 4: Role play
Student A: You are an exchange student in London. You have bought a bright
blue pullover recently; however, its colour was running during the first wash. You
decided to take it back to the shop. Complain about the quality of the product.
You want to have your money back and you do not need a new pullover. You have
the receipt.
Student B: You are a manager of a ladies’/ men’s wear shop. A customer has
come to your shop and starts complaining about a pullover. Ask what his/ her
exact problem is. Offer him/ her a new pullover. Be very polite.
Task 5: Role-play
Student A: You are an exchange student in London.
You have seen a pair of jeans of the latest fashion in a shop window. Ask about
their price, size, colour, quality and brand.
Student B: You are a shop assistant of a ladies’/men’s wear shop. A customer
has come to your shop and starts asking questions about a pair of jeans. Answer
his/her questions. Be polite.
Task 6: Interview your partner: Ask and answer the following questions.
   1. What do you buy daily/ weekly?
   2. Where do you shop your clothes?
   3. Do you prefer small shops to hypermarkets? Why/ why not?
   4. Are you price-conscious/ fashion-conscious/brand-conscious?
   5. How often do you do web-shopping?
   6. Describe the last item you bought.
   7. Have you ever had a complaint about a product? If yes, what happened?
   8. What are the assets of credit cards?
(Useful phrases: I think/ I consider/ I tend to view/ In my view/ In my opinion/
As for me/ As far as I am concerned/ I believe/ I feel/ I strongly believe)
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Task 7: In pairs discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of shopping
in a small corner shop vs. in a huge hypermarket. The following table might
help you with it.
SUNNY SIDES
                            SMALL SHOPS                  HYPERMARKETS
                            Near your home               Paying in cash/ by credit
                                                         card
                            Shop assistants are nice     A wide choice of
                            and polite                   products
                            Doing the shopping           Everything is under one
                            quickly                      roof
                            No long queues (lines)       Huge discounts (cheaper
                                                         products)
                            Not crowded                  Nice design, big shop
                                                         windows
DARK SIDES
                             SMALL SHOPS                 HYPERMARKETS
                             Only paying in cash         Far from city centres (in
                                                         the suburb)
                             Few products                Shop assistants are
                                                         more unfriendly
                             Pricey (more expensive      Doing the shopping takes
                             products)                   more time
                             No discounts                Long queues (lines)
                             No design                   Crowded places
Task 8: What shopping habits do people have?
Shopping
AT THE WEEKEND (weekend shopping)
-People buy more products (e.g. daily groceries, some bread, butter, fizzy drinks,
cold cuts, ingredients for cooking, etc).
-They do the shopping in big hypermarkets or shopping centres.
-They go there by car.
EVERY DAY (daily shopping)
-They buy some daily groceries (e.g. some croissants, rolls, cold cuts, butter,
yoghurt, dairy products (milk, sour cream), etc).
-They do the shopping in small corner shops.
-They go there on foot.
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Task 9: Discuss the advantages of markets and shopping centres. The
following ideas might help you.
MARKETS
-Popular places
-Local sellers/ farmers
-You can bargain there
-Fresh fruit and vegetables
-Homemade products
-Reasonable prices
-Special atmosphere
SHOPPING CENTRES (MALLS)
-They are in the centre
-Everything is under one roof time-saving
Activities:
-Eating out,
(buffets, sandwich bars,
fast food restaurants, etc.)
-Looking around, looking at shop windows
(doing the window shopping)
-Going to a hairdresser’s/ a nail designer’s, etc.
-Meeting friends,
-Buying products or services
-Going to the cinema and watching the latest films
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