Shopping

Shopping is an activity that is enjoyed by many people. There are also people who hate shopping and say that it is waste of time. But wheather the people like shopping or not they have to go to a shop, more or less frequently, to buy what they need because shopping is a necessity. There are many kinds of shops ranging from large department stores, self - service shops and supermarkets to small specialized shop such as the grocer's, baker's, butcher's, greengrocer's, chemist's, bookshop and botique. Wherever the customers enter they are welcomed by shop assistants who are ready to help them: What can I do for you ? Can I help you ? What will you have ? What can I show you ? These are the most frequent questions heard in shop since morning till late evening.Nowadays more and more customers prefer shopping in large department stores with self service, where everything can be found under one roof, to shopping in small specialized shops.

Supermarkets (Billa) are big shops which mostly sell food and standard toilet items. There are situated in cities and towns and some of them have parking spaces.

Hypermarkets (Tesco) or superstores are on a larger scale and usually situated outside a town, where there is a space for a large car park. People can buy almost anything there; from small things like milk through to clothes, shoes, cameras, to big items such as TVs, computers and furniture. One of the positive things about hypermarkets is that they are able to offer lower prices. They also sell their own brand products which are usually cheaper. Also, we don’t have to carry heavy bags we can place them in a trolley and unload them directly into the boot of our car, a few meters away.
Advantages: A tol of kinds of good, it is cheap, no closing time-nonstop, special offer, high employment, fresh food
Disadvantages: A lot of people, long waiting, dameged goods, crowded carparks,..

Department stores are large buildings usually several storeys high. They have many departments which offer their customers lots of high quality goods from different companies. There are also cafes, snack bars and restaurants where the people can relax when they are tired of shopping. These stores are usually run by one company and the famous ones in Europe are Harrods and Selfridges (both in London).

Market many people prefer shopping at the market where there is a wider choice of potatoes, cabbages, beans, carrots, tomatoes, apples, pears, oranges or bananas.

A shopping centre (Pollus) is a planned complex of smaller shops used by many companies which rent departments and sell different products.

A shopping mall is the same as a shopping centre but enclosed (indoor) and much larger with the biggest ones on the edges of towns.

Nowadays, more and more people prefer shopping in supermarkets and stores, because it’s very convenient to have so many products under one roof and obviously it does save a lot of time.
No matter how good supermarkets and stores are, there are still people who prefer shopping in small specialized shops. These types of shops are often visited by older people (without car), children and those who have forgotten to buy something in supermarkets.

At the grocer's people can buy foodstuff including flour, sugar, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, stewed fruit, various kinds of tea and coffe, bottled beer and juice, sweets, chocolate, frozen and tinned vegetables and fruit. There are also dairy products such as milk, butter, cream, cheese and yogurt.
At the baker's various kinds of fresh bread, rolls, buns and cakes can be bought.

The butcher sells meat uncluding pork, beef, lamb or poultry. Here we can buy smoked meat products such as ham, bacon, sausages and frankfurters. At the butcher's people can also buy tinned and frozen meat and fish.
The people, wko like to do gardening and some do-it-yourself work around the house, frequently need some hardware.
They can go to the ironmonger's to buy hammer, pliers, nails and other tools and materials.

At the stationer's writing paper, wrapping paper, envelopes, notebooks, pens, pencils, rubber, ruler are kept. All the things needed by school children can be bought here.

Fresh vegetables and all kinds of fruit can be bought at the greengrocer's and fruiterer's. The chemist's is a specialized shop where people can buy medicines. In Britain the chemist also keeps cosmetics and toilet supplies such as make-ups, shaving-cream, shampoo, soap and
tooth-brushes.

Boutiques sell the latest fashion. Here especially the young people have a wide choice of dresses, shirts, skirts, blouses, pullovers and jeans. Some of the boutiques also offer leather goods such as jackets, shoes, bags . . .

SERVICES
BANKS are bussinees organizations, which provide services connected with money especially keeping money for customers and paying it out on demand. If you have a bank account with particular bank, you keep your money there and take some out, when you need it. You can do it in a bank or you can use cashdispenser, which is a machine in the wall of the bank, that lets you money out using a special plastic card given to you by your bank.

POLICE STATION is an oficial office of men and women, whose job is protected people and property, to make everyone obey the law and also to catch criminals.

PETROL STATION is place, where you take your car and fill it with petrol. Most petrol stations also sell oil and small spare parts and other goods such as sendwiches, drinks, cigarettes, newspapers.

POST OFFICE is an office where you can post letters, postcards, or pacel from and i tis also the place where you pay all your bills – telephone, electricity, gass.

ADVERTISEMENT - we can see advertisement on bilboards, in TV, in the radio, in newspapers, in leaflets. The most often advertisements are advertisements with mobil phone, foods, cars and now with mortgages. Leaflets influence me in negative way, because when I see something cheap I must buy it even if I do not have enough money. But if there would not be advertisement, we would not have got informations, where products are cheaper and more expensive.