Shopping is an everyday activity that we do, when we need to buy something to eat or drink, something to decorate and to furnish our house or flat, or we can buy things just for our personal pleasure.
Nowadays shopping has become a sophisticated art or science.

When we go shopping, we can go either to a big department store or to the shop which specializes in some extra goods, e.g.
the greengrocer specializes in fruit and vegetables (ranging from products that can be grown in our climate to exotic tropical fruit. In summer we have wider choice of fruit than in winter.),
the butcher in meat (we can buy pork, beef, lamb, poultry, venison or in some shops there´s a selection even from kangaroo or ostrich meat),
the baker in bread and cakes (we can choose from selection of sweet pastries - doughnuts, gingerbread, filled buns and so on or we can buy fresh bread, crispy rolls, buns and baguettes),
the sweet shop in sweets and ice-cream,
the fishmonger in fish,
the florist in flowers,
the newsagent in newspapers and magazines,
the dairy in milk products and eggs,
the stationary in paper and office supplies,
the delicatessen in some exclusive and more expensive food,
the pharmacy in medicines (we can also buy pills, drops, ointments, vitamin candy, bandages, plasters and herbal cosmetics there),
the bookstore in books and maps,
the lingerie in underwear,
the men´s wear and women´s wear in clothes,
etc.

The most common shop in Britain is the grocer´s. It sells food, such as tea, coffee, sugar, eggs, jam, biscuits, tinned food and kitchen needs such as detergents and polish. Another common shop is the chemist´s. You can buy medicines and ointments there, but also toothpaste, soap, cosmetics, etc. In America the chemist´s shop is called a drugstore and you have wider selection of goods than in British chemist´s there (soap, shampoo, shaving accessories, beauty aids, medicines, and also sandwiches and soft drinks)


Shops

Shops usually operate on the “serve-yourself“ system – you go in, pick up a basket or a trolley, walk around the shop and choose what you want. At the exit there is a cashier who is smiling at you (unfortunately it isn´t always true) and you pay for all your goods together either in cash or with your credit card. Credit cards are widely accepted now. In bigger cities, especially in Prague, the shops accept foreign credit cards such as Visa Cards, American Express, etc.