Shopping and Services

Shopping is an activity that is enjoyed by many people. There are also people who hate shopping and say that it is a waste of time. But whether 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 two main types of shops: those that are part of a chain or a group, and those that are individually owned. Large cities also have large department stores and huge shopping malls.

The largest type of shops is called a hypermarket, which is a supermarket on a large scale and usually situated outside a town, where is space for a large cark park. It is very convenient to have so many products under one roof. Because supermarkets are so big, they are also able to lower the prices, making them cheaper than smaller shops. Then there is a handiness of not having to carry heavy bags of shopping along crowded streets but simply being able to unload them from the trolley into the boot of the car a few metres away.

But with so many people using the supermarkets, the smaller shops are finding it very difficult to compete. These shops cannot afford to stock such a wide range of products as the supermarkets and neither can they afford to sell thing as cheaply as supermarkets. However, they have also advantages. For example, old people living alone without cars don’t need to buy so much food as young families, and it is not very easy for them to travel to a supermarket, it is much easier for them to use smaller local shops. Also children who want sweets, or anyone who wants a magazine, find their local shops very useful, especially corner shops which are often open much longer hours than ordinary shops.

At the grocer's people can buy foodstuff including flour, sugar, salt, eggs, oil, fruit, tea, coffee, sweets, 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 fish, meat (pork, beef, lamb or poultry), smoked meat products (ham, bacon, sausages). We can go to the ironmonger's to buy hammer, pliers, nails and other tools and materials. At the stationer's we buy paper, envelopes, notebooks, pens, pencils, rubber, ruler… Fresh vegetables and all kinds of fruit can be bought at the greengrocer's. The chemist's is a specialized shop where people can buy medicines also cosmetics and toilet supplies. Boutiques sell the latest fashion with a wide choice of dresses, shirts, skirts, blouses, pullovers, jeans. At the florist’s we can buy flowers, wreaths, bouquets, plants. At the tailor’s we have our clothes made to measure. At the jeweller’s there is jewellers sold as well as silver and gold. At the newsagent’s we can buy there newspapers, magazines, crossroads, letters, stamps. At the launderette we bring our clothes, than we insert a coin into the slot, than we wait. There are also many other specialized stores like Sweetshop, Antique shop, Cake shop, Gift shop, Shoe shop, China and glassware shops, Delicatessens, Bookshop, Toy shop…

Services is a system that provide something that the public needs. It’s organized by the government or private company. We know many types of services, f.e. Post office is a national organization in many countries, that is responsible for collecting and delivering letters, post cards... Bank is an organization that provides various financial services, keeping or lending money, we can put our money into a bank account. Other services are also Police, petrol station, Dry-cleaning, Shoes repair, Photo copy, Baby-sitting, Gardener, Window cleaner, Electrician, estate agency (RK), dentist, doctor, beauty salon, DVD hire, library, swimming pool, tailor…

Consumer is someone who uses a product. A consumer society is a society in which material goods are very important. People today seem to have more possession and more comfort than they have ever had. They have washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners etc. to help with jobs that were once done by hand, and they have stereos, televisions, videos and computer games to help them enjoy their free time. These products have become very important to people too. Everybody dreams of owning their own car and you are very unusual if you don’t have at least one television set at home. Many people work very hard for long weeks in order to have enough money, not just to buy the food and clothes needed by their family and to pay the bills, but to be able to afford other “luxury” goods to make their life easier or more enjoyable.

Shopping is a big business nowadays. Merchandisers spend lots of money on advertising, trying to persuade customers that their product is much better than the competitor's. Commercials and advertisements are everywhere, in newspapers and magazines, on TV.