Shopping, lifestyle

Shopping:

Every city or town consists of residential and industrial areas, such as a town centre with department stores, shops and services. There are many kinds of retailers (maloobchodník), which can be categorized according to the store type. Each type of store has a different management and different selling strategies.

The most common shop in Britain is the grocer’s (smíšené zboží). He sells food, such as tea, coffee, sugar, flour, butter, cheese, eggs, jam or tinned food. Another common shop is the chemist’s (lékarna, drogerie). You can buy medicines and ointments, toothpaste, combs or soap here. Food products are also bought in a self service shop or a supermarket. The supermarket is bigger and you can buy also goods from the chemist and ironmonger here. In Self service shop you go in, pick up a basket or a trolley, walk around the shop and choose whatever you want to buy. At the exit there is a cash-desk or a cashier where you pay for all your good together either by cash or with your credit card. The typical feature of modern big cities are big department stores= large shops, divided into smaller parts in which different types of goods are sold. These are usually huge buildings equipped with speedy lifts and escalators, where you can buy almost everything from food to furniture. Department store consists of boutiques, cinemas, cafés, florist’s, butchers etc.

     An average Czech family goes shopping every day to a local supermarket for necessary food. Once a week they usually do one bigger purchase for the weekend and from time to time they have to buy clothes and shoes.

Many Americans choose to live in the suburbs (předměstí). The shopping malls have increasingly replaced the old-fashioned urban downtown where local shops, restaurants and cultural attractions were located. The shopping mall is filled with department stores, specialized shops, fast-food stalls, cinemas etc. Women usually love window-shopping, strolling in front of shop windows, looking at the range of goods on display (vystavované zboží), especially in the new shopping centers where are placed a lot of boutiques selling their own designs.

Different kinds of shops
Stalls – are placed in the streets and squares or at the tube-stations (many of their keepers are Vietnamese) – you can buy watches, jeans or shoes cheaper than anywhere else here, but these goods often have terrible quality – lose colors, shape, …,
Internet shopping – you search an Internet e-shop and you can order some goods or reserve your holiday for lower price. You can use home-banking and pay for everything from home, you don’t have to go to a bank.
TV shopping – there are adverts on TV, you can phone and they will post you the goods

 Differences between shopping in supermarkets (self service shops) and shopping in smaller (specialised) shops – choice, contact with people. Some people prefer large supermarkets, because many trademark products are on sale and usually in stock (sklad). They enjoy finding a bargain or sales. There are even people addicted on shopping, they are called “shopaholics”.

Regulation: Some businesses have shopping hours but other are open around the clock (celý den). Some nations regulate the operation of businesses for religious reasons and do not allow shopping on particular days or dates.

Shops: butcher’s (řeznictví) chemist’s (drogerie, lékárna), stationery (papírnictví), ironmonger’s (železřství), bookshop = bookseller’s, bookstall (novin. a knih. stánek), grocer’s (potraviny), grocery (smíš. zboží), greengrocer’s (zelenina), bakery, jeweller’s (klenoty), clothes shop, shoes shop, confectionery = sweetshop, delicatessen shop (lahůdky), fishmonger’s (obch. s rybami), dairy (mlékárna), haberdasher’s (galanterie), florist’s, a watchmaker’s, second hand, furniture shop, toyshop, ceramics shop, record shop, specialised shop, street vendor, discount store = a store that sells goods at price reduced from those recommended by the manufactures, retail chain store= goods are sold directly to customers in small amounts, warehouse retailer= a large store, especially one where goods are sold wholesale, shopping mall, shopping centre, supermarket=large shop selling mainly food where you serve yourself, kiosk= a small open hut, where you can buy a newspaper , market= an open place where people meet to buy a goods, especially food, street vendor= a table or small open front-shop in a public place

Fashion:
The cloths people wear have always indicated their occupation, social standing, or what part of the world they come from. Fashion can be used as a form of free speech, giving you the opportunity to show off your personality and own sense of style. Many people think „the clothing makes the man,“ which means how you dress shows what kind of person you are. Fashion styles change often. What is out of fashion, funny or ridiculous now, may look romantic a few decades later.
The important cities for fashion include Milan, Paris, London, and NYC. Designers create the clothing and then put on a show with models and a runway. Most of these clothes no one would wear on a normal day, but they may be fun for a special event. The important thing about these fashion shows is they show everyone what the popular colors and styles will be for the next season. The most popular fashion designers are Coco Channel, Ralph Laurent, Vivien Westwood, Dior, Prada etc.

Accessories – additional features of fashion (gloves, handbags, hats, scarves, shoes, jewellery)
Make-up – cosmetic articles people use to make themselves look a certain way
Readymade clothes – clothes that are sold in most shops; are relatively cheap and usually follow the fashions set by famous designers

Clothes can be made from different materials such as cotton, wool, leather, silk, sateen, flannel, corduroy, fur, denim.

Clothes can be loose or tight, water-proof, crease (nemačkavý), washable, non-iron., tailor-made clothes (oblečení šité na míru) or ready made clothes (konfekční oblečení)

Design of clothes: Plain (bez potisku,nebo vzoru) or patterned (vzorovaný)

Striped (pruhovaný), dotted (tečkovaný), spotted (puntikatý), checked (kostkovaný), flowered (květovaný)

Underwear: For women – bra, panties/knickers, nighttie (noční košilka), tights (punčochy), for men – boxers, knickers

Footwear: Clogs (dřeváky), wellingtons (gumáky), boots (boty na vysokém podpatku), pumps (lodičky), flip-flops (žabky)