Shopping and services
Intro: Shopping is an activity that is necessary in our lives, every time we need something we must go to shop and buy it there. However, for some people shopping can be also an enjoyment. Nowadays shopping is a big business and many companies spend lots of money on advertising and trying to persuade customers that their products are the best. Services make people’s lives easier. Services are an important part of a national economy and show a maturity of each country. They include health service, educational system, jurisprudence, trade, tourism, traffic and a lot of small services – for example most people can no longer imagine life without mechanics, hairstylists, chemists, dry-cleaners and so on.
My attitude My attitude to shopping depends on my mood, immediate situation and a kind of shop. I hate for example shopping of clothes, shopping of groceries I like only sometimes and I love shopping books and presents. When I must wait on main station in Prague, I always visit bookshop there to look for some interesting novelties. I prefer supermarkets and hypermarkets, because there is almost everything on one place and it’s cheaper than in small shops. I think that very good one is TESCO here in Poděbrady. TESCO provide a lot of advantages and a very wide range.
Supermarkets vs. small shops People can shop in big supermarkets, in small single shops or in open-air markets. A supermarket, a large form of the traditional grocery store, is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food and household products, organized into aisles. I’ve already mentioned some advantages of this store, so now one disadvantage – in supermarkets a chance to buy something unnecessary is bigger than in small shops, maybe because things we needn’t so much are often located in eye-level shelves or on the checkout aisle. Even wider range we can find in department houses. Nowadays, there is one more possibility, how people can shopping and it is the internet.
Kinds of shops There are many different types of shops ranging from large department stores, self-service shops and supermarkets to small specialized shops such as the grocer´s,
baker´s, butcher´s, greengrocer´s, stationer´s, chemist´s, ironmonger´s,
haberdasher´s, bookshop and boutique.
At the baker´s we can buy various kinds of bread, rolls, buns and cakes.
At the butcher´s meat including pork, beef, lamb or poultry can be bought. Here we
can also buy smoked meat products, for example sausages, bacon, ham and
frankfurters.
People can buy flour, sugar, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, tea, coffee, bottled beer, juice,
chocolate, sweets, frozen and tinned vegetables at the grocer´s.
At the greengrocer´s and fruiter´s people can buy fresh vegetable and all kinds of
fruit. Some people prefer shopping at the market because there is a wider choice of
potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages, beans, oranges, bananas, pears, etc.
At the stationer´s writing paper, wrapping paper, envelopes, notebooks, pens,
pencils, crayons, glue, rubber, rulers and compasses can be bought.
Services
The most important services are health service, educational system, bank services or
city’s technical department.
The city’s technical department takes care of the city, they keep the sidewalks and
streets clean, cut the grass, take care of the trees in the parks and so on.
During the last few years, more and more people have been using the bank services.
At the bank, we can have our bank account where we keep money and we can
withdraw it whenever needed. We can have our all monthly bills paid automatically
when they are due. We can have a bankcard or a credit card and pay with them
electronically or withdraw money from an automatic cash dispenser machine.
Libraries are my favourite service. People can there borrow books, audiobooks or
magazines, read a daily press, search things on the internet, work on PC and print or
copy.