Shopping:

Shopping is activity that is enjoyed by many people. There are also people who hate shopping and say it is a waste of time. But whether the people like shopping or do not like, the shopping is a necessity and people have to go to a shop, more or less frequently, to buy what they need.
There are many kinds of shops – ranging from large department stores, self-service shops and supermarkets to small specialized shops such as the grocer´s, baker´s, butcher´s, greengrocer´s, stationer´s, chemist´s, ironmonger´s (hardware shop), haberdasher´s, bookshop, footware shop and botique. Nowadays more and more people prefer shopping in a large department stores with self service, where everything can be found under one roof, to shopping in a small specialized shops.

At the grocer´s people can buy foodstuff including flour, sugar, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, stewed fruit, various kinds of tea and coffee, bottled beer and juice, sweet, chocolate, frozen and tinned vegetables and fruit. There are also dairy products such as milk, butter, cream, cheese and yogurt.
At the baker´s various kinds of fresh bread, rolls, buns and cakes can be bought.
The butcher sells meat including pork, beef, lamb or poultry. Here we can buy smoked meat products such as ham, bacon, sausages and frankfurters. At the butcher´s people can also buy tinned and frozen meat and fish.

The people, who like to do gardening and some D.I.Y. work around the house, frequently need some hardware. They can go to the ironmonger´s to buy hammer, pliers, nails, and other tools and materials.
At the stationer´s writing paper, wrapping paper, envelopes, notebooks, fountain –pens, ball-point pens, pencils, crayons, glue, rubber, rulers, and compasses are kept. All the things needed by school children can be bought here.
The haberdasher´s is the place where housewivws go when they need buttons, threads, needles and pins.

Fresh vegetables and all kinds of fruit can be bought at the greengrocer´s and fruiterer´s. Many people prefer shopping at the market where there is a wider choice of potatoes, cabbages, beans, carrots, tomatoes, apples, pears, oranges or bananas.
The chemist´s is a specialized shop where people can buy medicines. In Britain the chemist also keeps cosmetics and toilet supplies such as make-ups, shaving-cream, razor blades, shampoo, soap and tooth-brushes.

Boutiques sell the latest fashion. Here especially the young people have a wide choice of dresses, shirts, skirts-plain and pleated, cotton and silk blouses, pullovers, polo-neck pullovers, blue jeans, but also stockings and scarves. Some of the boutiques also offer leather goods such as leather jackets, shoes, bags and belts.
Many people like to go shopping to department stores. The department stores are large buildings usually several storeys high. They have many departmens which offer their customers all kinds of goods, all under one roof. Nearly all the big department stores have cafés, snack bars or restaurants where the people can relax when they are tired of shopping.