Shopping

Shopping is an activity that is necessary in our lives. Most people have to spend a part or the day doing some kind of shopping for food or other essential items. It is a question of knowing what to buy, where and when. We have a large choice of shops where we can go shopping. We can go to a big hypermarket, to a supermarket, to a department store, to a smaller local shop, or to an outdoor market.
In every city, town or village there are many kinds of different shops. Outside towns, we can find hypermarkets. In the city we also have additional stores, such a flower shops, bookshops, newsagents and drugstores. Nowadays the supermarket is the number One type of shop where people like to do their big shopping.
At a supermarket you can buy nearly all types of food: meat, cheese, eggs, milk, butter, bread, sugar, flour, tea, coffee, fruit, vegetables, and food preserved in jars and cans. At a supermarket you can buy cleaning supplies such as dishsoap, washing powder, and polishes and you can also find small household items.
Another place where people do a lot of their shopping is a department store, because it offers everything under one roof. A department store has different sections where you can buy almost anything: clothes for men, women, and children, shoes, sports shops, photo shops, furniture stores, household supplies, garden supplies, electronics, CD’s and tapes, books, furniture, jewelry, perfume and cosmetics. A lot of people go shopping on weekends, when supermarkets are not so full. At the end of the month or at the end of the season some products are also offered at lower prices.
An average Czech family goes shopping almost every day. People like small shops and especially local markets. Smaller shops usually provide customers with higher-quality goods. The most common shop is the grocer’s. It sells food and household provisions (toiletries and detergents, washing powder. . .) Another common shop is the chemisťs, which sells medical drugs, sunglasses, films and cameras. Another important shop is the baker’s selling bread, cakes, the butcher’s who sells meat and meat products, then the greengrocer’s, selling fruit and vegetables, the florisťs, the toyshop, the diary. Once a week they might do a larger shopping trip for the weekend. Foreigners visiting our country might buy a nice picture book about our country, a record or compact disc, cut glass, china and dolls in national costumes.
Who likes more to do shopping men or women? In my oppinion and experience most shoppers are women. Sometimes men come together with them especially when they want to do a lot of shopping or to buy something special and need help and advice of women. Most women looking after a household go shopping every day. They buy fresh bread and other things either early in the morning or on they way back from work. If they are too busy, they often send their children to do the shopping. It is useful to prepare a shopping list to match your needs with the family budget.
If you are short of money, if you are broke or you just don?t want to spend much, you must look for bargains. You may find a shop advertising discount prices – the shop-window is painted wich such notices as sale or reduced prices. It means that the shop-owner has gone broke or that the goods are out of fashion, out of date, the quality is not very high, or he hasn?t got enough room for storing the goods.
Many people who feel that they do not have time to go shopping and choose products from catalogues. They just fill out order form, specify the type, colour and size, and then mail their order. In just a few days or weeks, the new products aarive in the mail. It is possible to buy washing machines, dishwashers, radios, CD players and all kinds of other things through mail order.
Sometimes, salespeople selling cosmetics come to our door, offering to demonstrate their products. This gives us an opportunity to decide if we want to buy something or not. These new sales methods save time and are convenient for busy people.

STOCKINGS – punčochy BEEF – hovězí maso
ANORAK – větrovka, bunda MUTTON – skopové maso
CARDIGAN – vesta (pletená) PORK – vepřové maso
GLOVE – rukavice LENTILS – čočka
HANDKERCHIEV – kapesník SAUCE – omáčka
JACKET – sako, kabátek ONION – cibule
MACKINTOSH – plášť do deště GARLIC – česnek
PYJAMAS – pyžamo PEAR – hruška
SOCKS – ponožky DUMPLING – knedlík