WATCH VIDEO UNIT 9 – SIGHTSEEING – STARTING AT 27:16
CONVERSATION PRACTICE
TRIVIA
E208 – Shopping for souvenirs
Salesman: Good morning Sir. May I help you?
Customer: Thank you. I’m just browsing for now.
S: No problem Sir. Give me a shout if you find something you like.
C: How much are these T-shirts?
S: The adult sizes are $10 each, and the children sizes are $6.
C: I could buy some for my niece and nephews.
S: I can give you a discount. Three T-shirts for $15. OK?
C: OK. That sounds like a good bargain.
S: What sizes would you want?
C: My niece is 8 years old and the twins are 5.
S: Which designs would you want?
C: Well, my niece would love this koala T-shirt. Not sure about the boys. Yeah, maybe the kangaroos.
S: What colors would you like?
C: I’ll have an orange Koala T-shirt and a blue and a red kangaroo T-shirts.
S: Very good Sir. Would you like to have a look at our traditional dresses? They are the same as the ones sold in high street stores , but at a fraction of the price.
C: Is it so? I may come back for those later. My girlfriend wants me to do some window shopping at those stores for her; so I’ll go have a look there, but I would rather come back and buy them here.
S: That sounds good Sir. I’ll be here when you’ll come back. I’m not one to give customers the hard sell. So the T-shirts would be all for now Sir?
C: Yes.
S: That would be $15. Would that be cash or credit, Sir?
C: Cash. Here’s a twenty.
S: Here’s your $5 change. Thank you, and hope to see you again soon.
C: Thank you. Goodbye for now.
ADDITIONAL SHOPPING VOCABULARY
EXAMPLE OF IELTS SPEAKING TEST:
Examiner: Do you often go shopping for personal items?
Maxine: When I can afford it yes. My college is in the city centre and I do a lot of window shopping, but being a student I’m on a tight budget so I have to be careful with money.
Examiner: Are there many shops where you live?
Jenny: We’ve got a few local shops nearby and a few independent stores but none of the big high street names. I have to go into town for them.
Examiner: Do you enjoy shopping?
Marco: It depends. I hate it when the sales are on … crowds of people all trying to snap up a bargain. I find it all a bit stressful. I also get annoyed when shop assistants try to give me the hard sell when all I want to do is look around.
Coleen: I’d like to tell you about the time, about four years ago, my husband and I bought a computer for our daughter. She was about to go to university and we’d promised her we would treat her to one. At the time there had been a big advertising campaign for the latest Apple MacBook and our daughter was very keen to have one. She kept telling us they were value for money; even though they seemed very expensive to us. Anyway we tried to shop around to see if we could pick up a bargain. This was in the middle of the summer sales and wherever you went prices were being slashed on big brand names; but unfortunately not Apple products. We ended up having to pay the full price. I remember my daughter justifying the cost by pointing out how nice the Apple carrier bag was. But it was lovely to see her so excited and the customer service she’s received during the four years she’s had it has been excellent. So it was value for money after all
Source: https://www.ieltsspeaking.co.uk/ielts-shopping-vocabulary/
DEFINITIONS:
Advertising campaign: a series of advertisements to persuade people to buy something
Big brand names: large well-known companies or product names
To be careful with money: to not over-spend
Carrier bag: bags (usually plastic) supplied by shops
Customer service: the degree to which customers are treated well
To get into debt: to owe money
To give someone the hard sell: to put pressure on someone to buy something
High street names: well-known shops
Independent stores: small shops independent of large companies
Local shops: community shops
Loyalty card: a card issued by a shop to allow customers to save money on the basis of what they spend
Must-have product: a product that is very popular that a lot of people want to have
To be on a tight budget: to have a limited amount of money to spend
To be on commission: to pay someone in relation to the amount they sell
Pay in cash: to pay for something using coins or paper money
To pay the full price: to pay the full amount for something
To pick up a bargain: to buy something much cheaper than the normal price
To run up a credit card bill: to owe money on a credit card
To shop around: to try different shops to find the best deal
Shop assistant: the person who serves customers
To shop until you drop: to do a lot of shopping
To slash prices: to reduce prices a great deal
To snap up a bargain: to buy something quickly that is being sold cheaply
Summer sales: a period in the year when things are sold cheaply
To try something on: to see if an item of clothing fits or is suitable
To be value for money: to be worth the cost
Window shopping: to visit a store to look at items without the intention of buying anything
VOCABULARY REVIEW
SONG
Shop around by Captain and Tennille.
(Elapsed time 0:59)
“Try to get yourself a bargain, girl.
Don’t you be sold on the very first one.
Good-looking guys come a dime a dozen”
