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I do most of my shopping online; it saves time and I often get the best prices without having to go to several stores.
When I need to buy something other than groceries, I usually use Google shopping to do the first scan to check the price range. Google shopping is useful, but it shows many sellers who are not familiar.
After I get an idea of the price range, I go to Amazon to check the reviews. The higher the review rating the better, as long as the number of reviewers is sufficiently large. Amazon reviews are good because they make sure the reviews come from actual buyers, not from some outfits that sell good reviews to dishonest merchants.
Once I narrow my choice down to a specific item, I usually complement Amazon’s reviews with others on the web; these are not always reliable, but by checking a few, we can see if the item is highly rated by most of them.
Amazon does not always have the best prices. They have third party sellers who display outrageous prices to catch unsuspecting buyers.
Shopping would be really easy if we could sort the prices from low to high, then pick the best rated product. But Amazon and most other merchants want to discourage us from doing that, to get us confuse and buy higher price products.
When we sort the prices from low to high, they display thousands of items, most of them irrelevant; in addition, they pepper the list with sponsored items at much higher prices.
The best way to combat that is to narrow the price range, from our knowledge acquired in Google Shopping.
Once I find a good price from Amazon, I go to other merchants’ website to see their prices, the pick the one that has best price and delivery.
It’s convenient to have an account with the online store to buy online, because they keep your address and credit card number in their database and you don’t have to reenter them; but it’s not absolutely necessary, you can check out as a guest, and provide the above data each time.
In addition to credit cards, payments can be made with PayPal and similar payment processing company. PayPal can take money from your bank account, so you can buy without having a credit card.
PayPal is free for the buyers, and it’s convenient, because you only have to give your credit card, bank account number and address to them, not to several merchants, hence you can minimize your exposure to the risk of the online store get hacked and your data stolen.
Grocery shopping is much simpler, because I buy the same items most of the time, and don’t need to check the reviews. I just go to the web site, reorder the items I usually buy, and pay.
Shipping cost varies with the store, but many of them offer free shipping for purchase over a certain value, or if you buy a shipping subscription.
Groceries can also be shipped, but I usually go pick them up in the store’s parking lot.
RELATED LINKS
EXPRESSIONS
Could turn either way: Could be a win for one party or the other.
Hang on: 1. Cling to the position 2. Wait a short time. 3. Listen attentively
Grind that agenda to a halt: To stop it
Use the veto pen: Use the power to refuse (The US President has the power to refuse a law approved by Congress. Congress can override this power by a majority of 2/3.
GRAMMAR
Noun compounds
Complete the following sentences with a noun compound formed by the two italicized nouns. The compounds consist of one word or two, as shown by the blanks.
Rules: Open, closed, or hyphenated
Examples: A small boat saved his life. It was a lifeboat.
The streetlights were off, but he could see by the light of the moon. The street was lit up by the moonlight.
He raises chickens on his farm. He has a chicken farm.
1. He deposited the mail in the box. He put the letters in the — mailbox –.
2. The man holding the door is the — doorman –.
3. He went into the store to buy some shoes. He went into the — shoestore –.
4. She drank some tea from the cup. She drank from the — teacup –.
5. Just throw any waste paper in this basket. It’s a — wastebasket –.
6. That man has the highest sales record. He’s the best — saleman –. in the
company.
7. Mary bought a shade for the lamp. She bought a — lampshade –.
8. He likes to go sailing in his boat. He has a — sailboat –.
9. Her watch fell off her wrist. She lost her — wristwatch –.
10. This store has a number of different departments. It’s a — department store –.
11. The bells of the church rang out. I heard the — church bells –.–.
12. We need some more wax for this floor. We need some — floor wax –.
13. She was carrying the hat in a box. She was carrying a — hatbox –.
14. He gave her a ring for their engagement. He gave her an — engagement ring –.
15. Does that train carry passengers? Yes, it’s a — passenger train –.
16. I got these books from the library. These are — library books –.
17. Mr. Evans bought a collar for his dog. He bought a — dog collar –.
18. This paper appears in the evening. It’s an — evening paper –.
19. You wear these shoes when you go bowling. These are — bowling shoes —
20. I can’t fasten this button for my collar. Please help with — collar button –.
21. I need a coat to wear in the rain. I’ll have to buy a — raincoat –.
22. Do you have a list of your prices? I’d like to see your — price list –.
SPEAKING PRACTICE
Talk about an election system that you know.