6 SHOPPING AND SERVICES
Give examples of different kinds of shops and explain how they differ.
People can do shopping in small specialized shops, local corner shops, supermarkets,
large shopping centres/shopping malls and department stores, open-air markets or online.
Small specialized shops are, for example, a baker’s, greengrocer’s, butcher’s,
delicatessen, chemist’s, cosmetics store, stationer’s, florist’s, clothes shop, shoe shop,
second-hand shop, bookshop, gift shop, toy shop, a jeweller’s, newsagent’s, or a pet shop.
These shops are small. They are usually open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday.
But some specialized shops are large like furniture shops. Specialized shops have helpful
shop assistants who can give advice to customers if necessary.
Corner shops are small local shops which sell various food, alcohol, magazines,
cigarettes, but also basic household supplies, like toilet paper, soap and washing gel. They
are usually open till late in the evening, seven days a week.
Supermarkets are large indoor shops which sell mostly food, meat and meat products,
fruit and vegetables, but also a variety of toilet and household supplies, school and office
supplies. In Slovakia, the most popular supermarkets are Fresh, Billa, Tesco, Kaufland
and Lidl. They have long opening hours, usually from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Shopping centres (in the UK)/shopping malls (in the USA) are situated either in a town
(OC Galéria, OC Aupark, OC Cassovia) or outside a town (OC Optima) with a large car
park. There is usually a supermarket, a variety of different specialized shops, cafés, fast-
food shops and restaurants. There are also some services, like a post office, banks, a dry-
cleaner’s and a kid’s corner. Some of them have a cinema, bowling centre, or a fitness
centre. They have long opening hours, usually from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
A department store is a large building, usually several floors high. On each floor people
can buy different goods. For example, on the first floor it is possible to buy clothes, shoes,
accessories, cosmetics on the second floor it is possible to buy sporting goods, books and
toys, on the third floor it is possible to by furniture and electronics, etc. There can also be a
hairdresser’s, café or a restaurant.
An open-air market is an outdoor place with a lot of stalls. Markets are a popular
shopping place mainly in summer. People can buy fresh local fruit, vegetables and flowers
there, but also home-made products, like honey or dried mushrooms.
Online shopping has become more and more popular lately, especially with the young
and middle-aged people, because it’s comfortable, fast, and often cheaper than buying
goods in shops.
What can you buy at the grocer’s, greengrocer’s, baker’s, butcher’s, stationer’s,
chemist’s and at boutiques?
At the grocer’s people can, for example, buy bread, flour, rice, salt, sugar, eggs,
vegetable oil, various kinds of tea and coffee, spices, frozen and tinned food, packed and
frozen meat and meat products, various beverages, juice, sweets, fruit and vegetables.
They also sell dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese, yoghurts, cream, etc.
At the greengrocer’s people can buy fresh fruit and vegetables, like apples, pears, plums,
oranges, bananas, grapefruits, pineapples, lemons, kiwis, tomatoes, green peppers,
carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions, garlic, etc. They also sell tinned and frozen fruit and
vegetables.
At the baker’s people can buy various kinds of fresh bread, rolls, buns, stuffed buns,
baguettes, doughnuts, cakes, etc.
At the butcher’s people can buy fresh, frozen and smoked meat and fish, meat products
such as ham, bacon, salami, sausages, frankfurters, and also tinned meat and fish
products.
At the stationer’s people can buy school supplies like notebooks, exercise books, pencils,
coloured pencils, pens, glue, rubbers, rulers, etc. There are also office supplies like paper,
envelopes, diaries, and calendars.
At the chemist’s (in the UK) people can buy medicines (like painkillers, antibiotics or
vitamins), cosmetics (such as perfumes, lipsticks, eye-shadows, nail polish, shaving
cream, shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorants), and household supplies
(like toilet paper, tissues, washing powder, detergents)
Boutiques sell the latest fashion. People can buy various dresses, shirts, blouses,
pullovers, jeans, trousers, hats, scarves, or gloves. Some boutiques also offer leather
goods, such as leather jackets, shoes, bags, handbags, and belts.
Give a list of some advantages and disadvantages of shopping in supermarkets.
Shopping in large supermarkets has many advantages:
There are big trolleys where you can put all your shopping and take it to your car.
There are lots of different kinds of goods under one roof.
There are weekly sales, special offers and discounts, seasonal sales.
Supermarkets have long opening hours and are open seven days a week.
At the checkout, you can pay in cash, by a card (a debit card, a credit card), mobile
phone or a smart watch.
There is usually a car park, so you can easily park your car nearby.
However, there are also some disadvantages:
If you don’t live close to a supermarket and you want to do a big shopping, you need a
car to get there.
It takes more time to shop there than in small shops.
It isn’t easy to get help or advice while shopping, because there aren’t many shop
assistants to help you.
Some people can get influenced by advertisements, discounts and sales too much that
they buy things they don’t really need and they actually waste their money.
Explain what kind of services you can get at banks and post offices.
Banks provide financial services to people. At the bank you can open a current account
(bežný účet) where you keep your money. Your salary comes to your account, your
monthly bills (like electricity, water, gas, TV, phone) are paid from it. You can pay in shops
or online by your card, and if you need cash, you can withdraw your money from a cash
machine-ATM (Automated Teller Machine). If you need to borrow money, the bank can
give you a loan. If you need to borrow money to buy a flat or a house, the bank can give
you a mortgage.
At the post office you can send a letter, postcard, parcel, or money. You can also buy
stamps, newspapers, magazines, postcards, envelopes, and boxes. It is also possible to
buy lottery tickets or pay your monthly bills there. A postman/postwoman delivers mail
(letters, postcards, money and parcels) to your home address once a day.
Chemist's
In Britain - a shop where you can buy medicine, cosmetics, and some household items.
Drugstore
In the United States - a shop where you can buy medicine and cosmetics. In some drugstores, you
can also buy simple meals and snacks.
Pharmacy
It is a place within a chemist's or a drugstore, or within a supermarket or other business, where you
can get prescription drugs.
Useful vocabulary
arrangement [ə’reindžmənt] zoradenie, úprava, usporiadanie
baguette [bæ’get] bageta
baker’s [beikəz] pekáreň
bill účet, faktúra
boutique [bu’ti:k] butik
bun [bun] žemľa
butcher’s [bučəz] mäsiarstvo
calendar [ˈkælɪndə] kalendár
cash machine - ATM [kæš mə’ši:n] bankomat
checkout [čekˌaʊt] pokladňa
china and glass [čainə] sklo, porcelán
corner shop [ko:nə] miestny obchodík, večierka
cream [kri:m] smotana
current account [karənt ə’kaunt] bežný účet
dairy products [deəri] mliečne výrobky
department store [di’pa:tmənt sto:] obchodný dom
department oddelenie
detergent [dɪˈtɜːdžənt] čistiaci prostriedok, saponát
discount zľava
dry-cleaner’s chemická čistiareň
electricity [i,lek’trisiti] elektrina
electronically [ilek’tronikli] elektronicky
eye-shadows [šædəuz] očné tiene
financial [fɪˈnænšəl / faɪˈnænšəl] finančný, peňažný
florist’s kvetinárstvo
foodstuff [ˈfuːdˌstʌf] potraviny
frankfurters [fræŋfə:təz] párky
free [fri:] zdarma
frequent [fri:kwənt] častý
frozen foods [frəʊzn] mrazené potraviny
goods [gudz] tovar
greengrocer ‘s [gri:n’grousəz] zelovoc
home-made products domáce / doma vyrobené výrobky
household supplies [haʊsˌhəʊld səˈplaɪz] domáce potreby
hypermarket [haipəma:kit]
influenced [influənst] ovplyvňovaný
kid’s corner [kɔːnə] detský kútik (v nákupnom centre)
lately [leɪtlɪ] v poslednom čase
loan [ləun] pôžiťka, úver
lottery ticket [lotəri] tiket, los, žreb
mail [meil] pošta, poštová zásielka
mortgage [mɔːgɪdž] hypotéka
nail polish [neil poliš] lak na nechty
notebook poznámkový blok, zápisník
office supplies kancelárske potreby
opening hours otvárací čas
packed [pækt] balený
painkiller [peɪnˌkɪlə] liek proti bolesti, analgetikum
pencil [pensl] ceruzka
performed [pə‘fo:md] vykonávaný
perfume [pɜːfjuːm] parfém
poultry hydina
product [prodakt] výrobok
school supplies školské potreby
sale výpredaj
shopping mall [mo:l] nákupné centrum/
spices [spaɪsiz] korenie, koreniny
stall [stɔːl] stánok, predajný stôl
stationer’s [steišnəz] papierníctvo
stewed fruit [stju:d] zavárané ovocie
stuffed bun plnené pečivo
supermarket [su:pəma:kit]
sweets [swiːts] sladkosti
the latest fashion [leitist fæšən] najnovšia móda
tin konzerva
tinned foods [tɪnd] konzervované potraviny
to borrow požičať si
to collect [kəˈlekt] vyzdvihnúť si
to demonstrate [demənstreit] názorne predviesť
to deposit [di’pozit] uložiť, vložiť
to get influenced by sth [ɪnflʊənst] nechať sa ovplyvniť niečím
to lower [louə] znížiť
to provide [prəˈvaɪd] poskytovať
to touch [tač] dotknúť sa
to waste money [weɪst] premrhať, premárniť peniaze
to withdraw [wið’dro:] vybrať (peniaze)
to wrap [ræp] zabaliť
toy shop [tɔɪ šop] hračkárstvo
trolley [trɒlɪ] nákupný vozík
variety of sth [vəˈraɪətɪ] celá škála (niečoho)
washing powder [paudə] prášok na pranie
