Shopping For Food

Buying foodstuffs in a modern supermarket can be considered a sort of art. It is the art of combating a temptation.

Supermarkets play a dirty trick on the customers: practically every shopper is tempted to buy things he or she does not need or cannot afford.

The mechanism of this lamentable deceit is simple. Firstly, su­permarkets are laid out to make a person pass as many shelves and counters as possible. Only the hardest of souls can pass loaded racks indifferently and not collect all sorts of food from them.

Secondly, more and more supermarkets supply customers with trolleys instead of wire baskets: their bigger volume needs more purchases. One picks up a small item, say, a pack of spaghetti, puts it into a huge trolley and is immediately ashamed of its loneliness. He or she starts adding more.

Thirdly, all products are nicely displayed on the racks and all of them look fresh in their transparent wrappings with marked prices. A normal person cannot ignore attractively packed goods. And so one cannot but feel an impulse to buy. And, finally, supermarkets don't forget about those who look for bargains. The so-called "bar­gain bins" filled with special offers wait for their victims. No one can tell for sure if the prices are really reduced, but it is so nice to boast later that you have a very good eye for a bargain.

So when a simple-hearted customer approaches a check-out, his or her trolley is piled high. Looking at a cashier, running her pen over barcodes, he or she starts getting nervous while the cash register is adding up the prices. And, getting a receipt, he or she gives a sigh of relief if the indicated sum does not exceed the cash he or she has.

Of course, one can give a piece of advice to the simple-hearted: compile a shopping list and buy only pre-planned goods. But is it worth losing that great sensation of buying? One can really wonder.

A lot of people prefer to do their shopping in small shops. The daily shopping route of some housewives includes visits to the baker's, butcher's, grocer's, greengrocer's, fishmonger's and a dairy shop. In the end of the route their bags are full of loaves of bread, meat cuts, and packs with cereals, fruit, vegetables, fish and dairy prod­ucts. Only very strong women can call in at the tobacconist's after all that.

The explanation for this housewives' craze is very simple. In ev­ery shop their buys are weighed, wrapped up, their money taken and the change given back. Meanwhile they can have a chat with salesgirls and shop-assistants about their weak hearts and broken hopes.

So, friends, go shopping as often as you can. Because the simple truth is: a visit to a good shop is worth two visits to a good doctor.

Text 2

Shopping for consumer goods

Shopping is a very important part of life, but shoppers are faced with a confusing and rapidly changing situation. The confusion arises from the claims made by advertising, a wider choice of goods than ever before, and new places to shop. The prices of clothes, shoes, and make-up have gone sky-high, so it's vital that you do not waste your money and that you shop carefully for value.

Be sure of what you want — never shop vaguely, because when you get home your purchase may not match anything else you've got.

Shop around for the best price and quality. Start with a depart­ment store, where they stock a wide range of goods and souvenirs. There you can find many departments: haberdashery, hosiery, drap­ery, millinery, ladies wear, menswear, and footwear. If you are look­ing for a skirt and a top to go with it, you'll need "Separates". You'll find shorts or T-shirts in "Leisurewear", jumpers in "Knitwear", and a nightdress in "Nightwear". In "Accessories" they sell belts, gloves, and purses. Try on all the trousers or dresses they have in the line although it may be quite boring to wait if the changing room is occupied. Check out the racks with the sign "sale". Although it usu­ally seems to be the small sizes that are offered in sales, you can sometimes find some super buys.

Feeling cheered up by your new purchase; don't forget to keep the receipt, in case an item turns out to be faulty. You'll need the re­ceipt if you want to exchange the item or have your money refunded. If you are a bargain-hunter, try clothes markets. They often don't have the high overheads of town shops and can therefore keep prices lower, though they can stock substandard goods. Flea markets are not the best place to buy anything. The prices are low, but the qual­ity is, too.

Don't put off the purchase of festive gifts until there are only two days left before a holiday. Department stores are swarming with last-minute shoppers, so you may have to queue for half an hour at the checkout till. From everywhere you can hear people swapping rumours, 'They have sold out all the scarves', and ‘They have run out of that cream'. You inevitably get involved in exchanging remarks with other people in the queue or with salesgirls. Sometimes the talk gets so interesting that the cashier's question whether you want to pay in cash or by credit card takes you by surprise. Anyway, you pay and feel happy that you have made a bargain, which puts you in a good mood.

Dear friends, make shopping entertaining. Shop together with your friends. Enjoy attractively designed displays and well-dressed shoppers browsing through trendy items. Then you will definitely like it.

1. Learn the spelling of the italicized words from the texts above. Prepare to write a dictation.

2. Fancy that you take a little child to a supermarket for the first time. Ex­plain to him what you see around and what one should do.

3. Describe a) the supermarket closest to your block of flats; b) your favourite supermarket.

4. Say how you buy goods in an ordinary shop and in a supermarket.

5. Say what one can buy in the shops mentioned in the text (baker's, butcher's, etc.)

6. Where can you buy the following items?

jewellery a pair of shoes

stockings buttons, zips

fabrics a suit

a swimsuit pyjamas

a hat a cardigan

7. What can you buy in the following shops?

an antique shop an art shop

a bookshop a boutique

a florist's/flower shop a furniture shop

a gift shop a hi-fi store

an ironmonger's a jeweller's

an optician's a pet shop

a photographic shop a radio shop

a record shop a sports shop

a stationer's a toy shop

8. Describe the best-known department store in your city. What does it sell? Do you like it? How do you get there? What attracts you and what annoys you in a big department store? Take the following points into account:

convenience choice service quality price

9. Discuss your shopping habits:

What do you look for when you shop? Why? What factors are important for you when you go shopping? List the factors below in order of importance.

friendly service low prices

the quality of goods the design of the shop interior

the size of the shop brand name goods on sale

shops that aren't crowded nearby entertainment/cafe

10. In the sentences below only 3 variants are correct and the rest are wrong. Choose the correct words.

1. The ... was crowded with shoppers on the Saturday before Christmas.

A. shopping centre. B. shopping precinct. C. mall. D. ki­osk. E. stall.

2. In department stores, customers are usually welcome to ex­amine and try on ... .

A. goods. B. objects. C. articles D. merchandise. E. mate­rials.

3. The meal was really ..., we got at least six courses — all for under £10.

A. a bargain. B. valuable. C. worthy. D. a good value. E. a value for money.

4. How much is your T-shirt? I got four for only £30. They were ... .

A. on sale. B. on offer. C. on display. D. going cheap. E. dear.

5. I can't imagine how she affords to send her kids to that school — it must....

A. cost the earth. B. be priceless. C. be costly. D. be expen­sive. E. be a money spinner.

6. Unless Jaguar can ... , they will soon be unable to compete on the American market.

A. cut the prices. B. give a discount. C. reduce prices. D. increase prices. E. raise prices.

7. We don't get many ... on Mondays — Saturday is our busi­est day.

A. clients. B. merchants. C. vendors. D. shoppers. E. cus­tomers.

8. We ... a large selection of European wines.

A. stock. B. sell. C. retail. D. have on sale. E. wholesale.

9. It was difficult to choose from such ... of dishes on the menu.

A. a range. B. a selection. C. a choice. D. a mixture. E. a category.

10. Sales staff are trained to be ...

A. helpful. B. courteous. C. humble. D. knowledgeable. E. obtrusive.