Shopping in London and in the US
One of the features of London is the number of big stores, most of which are to be found in or near the West End. These stores are a mixture of tradition and modernity. They developed in the nineteenth century; they maintain the dignity of that century, yet they are always ready to follow new trends. The big stores of London are vast buildings, many stores high, equipped with speedy lifts and escalators, with well-planned lighting and ventilation.
Departments are carefully named; for example, “Budget Dresses” are really cheap dresses, “Mother-to-be” or “Lady-in-Waiting”, “Mix-and-Match”, “Unisex” (new trends in fashion) and many others. In these departments you can buy ready-made clothes. If you can’t find clothes that are the right size, you can go to a tailor’s shop. Clothes made to measure, are called tailor-made clothes.
Another feature of London’s shopping life is the chain-stores, in which the goods are displayed on open counters. A wide variety of goods is offered: foodstuffs, household goods, clothing and stationery. These chain-stores have branches in most British towns of importance.
One very well-known firm of chemists has shops in many parts of London; here you may buy not only medicines but also cosmetics and toilet supplies.
Dairy firms have shops in various parts of London, too, and in these you may buy not only dairy produce but also groceries, soap and household articles.
Moreover there are a lot of supermarkets in London. These large stores are brightly lit and usually well laid out. The goods are tidily arranged on trays and long shelves on which the various prices are clearly marked. There is plenty of room for the customers to walk about. The shelves are well stocked with a very wide selection of attractively packed goods – everything from quick-frozen food to washing powder, from shoe polish to new-laid eggs, from tinned fish to toothpaste. These stores operate on the self-service system: you go in, pick up a basket, walk round the shop and choose what you want. At the exit there is a check-out point, a cash-desk where you pay for all your goods together. The cashier reckons up the bill on a cash register which automatically adds up the various items. In the meantime another shop assistant packs the goods into your shopping bag.
In America, just as in England, you see the same shops with the same boards and windows in every town and village. Shopping, however, happens to be an art of its own and you have to learn slowly where to buy various things. If you are hungry, you go to the chemist’s. A chemist’s shop is called a drug-store in the United States; it is a national institution and a very good institution at that. In the larger drug-stores you are likely to get drugs, too, but their main business consists of selling, stationery, candy, toys, fountain pens, furniture and imitation jewelery. Every drug-store has a food counter with high stools in front of it and there they serve various juice, coffee, ice-cream, sandwiches, omelette and other egg dishes.
If you want cigarettes, you are expected to go to the grocer; if you want to have your shoes cleaned, go to the barber. Men in America like to go to the hardware store. But most shopping is done at the mall. They have stripped malls as well as enclosed malls. As a rule women prefer going to the mall and almost 60 per cent of everything is sold in malls. Sometimes women just walk through the mall and look at things. They call this window shopping.
Tasks
1. Read and translate the text.
2. Make up a summary of the text.
3. Retell the text as if you were:
1) a Russian person;
2) an American;
3) an English man.
Dialog A. At the Footwear Department
Salesgirl: What can I do for you, madam?
Customer: I’d like a pair of strong walking shoes for everyday wear.
Salesgirl: What size do you take in shoes?
Customer: My size is 37.
Salesgirl: Will you try on these brown shoes?
Customer: Don’t you think that the heels are a bit too high for everyday wear?
Salesgirl: Well, yes, but such heels are all the fashion now. But you can try on another pair. This is a pair of nice flat-heeled shoes. Do they pinch?
Customer: I like them much better than those ones. Will you give me a shoe for the left foot, please? It’s a perfect fit. How much are they?
Salesgirl: 30 dollars. Shall I wrap them up for you?
Customer: Yes, please? Where is the cash desk?
Salesgirl: It’s at the end of the department. Thank you.
Customer: Thank you. Good-bye.
Tasks
1. Read the dialog for detailed understanding.
2. Retell the dialog as if you were a customer.
3. Act out your own dialog on the analogy.