Shopping in a foreign country

Read and translate the text and put three questions to it:

Almost all towns have a shopping centre, where most of the shops are to be found. The big stores started in America, and the idea was brought to England by Gordon Selfridge about 70 years ago. Self ridge's is still one of the biggest stores in London. The department stores which sell the cheaper kinds of goods in London are Woolworth's and Marks and Spencer's. There are two of them in Oxford Street. The important thing about shopping in England is to decide what you want and how much you are prepared to pay. Shop-assistants are specially trained in advertising. Many shops have retained their old looks.

At times the big department stores in Britain hold the so-called «bargain sales», that is they sell goods at reduced prices. In many cases the goods offered to the customer are out of fashion or out of season. What the department store loses during the bargain sales, it returns by raising prices for other goods. The store is divided into departments: women's clothes, men's clothes, shoes, hosiery, toys, sports goods, leather goods, china (фар­фор) and glass, food and so on. Sometimes there is a tea-room and a room where you can write letters, and a post-office to post them. You will also find a room where you can rest if you are tired, men's and women's hairdressers and an office where you book seats for the theatre or arrange to travel anywhere in the world. Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street are rightly considered the shopping streets in London. Though the King's Road is for the young because they can find all the latest fashions at various price levels. Most shops in London are open from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. from Monday to Satur­day.

The shops that are most characteristically American are the “drugstores” and the «supermarkets». A «drugstore» is not, as an Englishman might think, a “chemist's shop”, i.e. a place that sells only or mainly drugs. In some of them you can buy drugs, but their main business is to sell stationary, candy, milk shakes, ball-point pens, ice-creams, toasters, electric clocks, paper-backed books or imitation jewelry. Every drugstore has a food counter where you can sit on a high stool and have Coca-Cola, orange juice, hot dogs, coffee, cakes and sandwiches. There are “automats” from which on putting in a coin you can get a plate of cooked ham, cooked beef or cheese or “the best hand-carved sandwich in town” — all to the constant sound of music from the “juke boxes” or “canned mu­sic” that is telephoned in. There are «supermarkets» in England but the ones in America are much bigger; some covering 40,000 square feet are not uncommon, and they have huge car-parks where the cars )f a thousand customers can be parked. Nearly 50% of the groceries sold in America are sold in the supermarkets.

Read and translate these dialogues, make your own dialogue

Here we have two conversations. The first is between Mrs. Smith and her younger son John at the shops. The second is between Mrs. Smith and a shop assistant.

It's Saturday morning and Mrs. Smith is going shopping.

Mrs. S: John, I'm going to the shops. Is there anything you want?

John: Yes please! Can you pick up my magazine from the newsagents?

Mrs. S: Of course. Do you want to come with me?

John: No way, I'm going round to Mike's house, sorry.

Mrs. S: No problem. I'll be about an hour, be home by 5 o'clock at the latest.

John: OK. I'll see you later.

A bit later......

Mrs. S: John are you home?

John: Yes mum, I'm up stairs.

Mrs. S: Come down here, I bought you a new Nike T-shirt; I want you to try it on.

John: Nike? Great I'm coming!

A few minutes later.....

Mrs. S: Well, does it fit?

John: I think it's a bit too small.

Mrs. S: Let's have a look. Hmmm, I think you've grown again!

John: I can't wear it though.

Mrs. S: Do you like it?

John: Yeah, it's a nice color.

Mrs. S: I'll take it back to the supermarket and see if I can change it.

Mrs. Smith had bought a nice new T-shirt for John, but when he tried it on it didn't fit.

It's Saturday evening and Mrs. Smith has to return the T-shirt.

Mrs. S: Excuse me, can you help me?

Shop Assistant: Yes of course, what can I do for you?

Mrs. S: I bought this T-shirt for my son this afternoon, but it doesn't fit him, it's too small.

Shop Assistant: Do you want to change it or get a refund?

Mrs. S: I'd like to change it for a larger size. Do you have these in large?

Shop Assistant: I'll just check. Let's see, yes we have large or extra large, and which would you prefer?

Mrs. S: I think large will be fine, it's for my son.

Shop Assistant: That's fine; if it doesn't fit just bring it back again. If you take it to the customer service desk, they'll sort it all out for you.

Mrs. S: Thank you. Just as a matter of interest do you give refunds?

Shop Assistant: Yes, of course. You can bring any clothing items back up to three weeks after purchase, but you must keep the receipt. .

Mrs. S: I see; thanks again.

Shop Assistant: You're welcome.

Read and translate the text and speak on your last shopping