1, shops
2, services
3, advertisement

Shopping is an activity that is enjoyed by many people. There are also people who hate shopping and say that it is a waste of time. But whether the people like shopping or not, they have to go to a shop, more or less frequently, to buy what they need because shopping is necessary.
Consumer – is someone who uses a product. A consumer society is a society in which material goods are very important.
In the past, people used to shop more often for staple foods (fruit, vegetables, meat, bread). They used to buy these in local shops in the town or village where they lived and carry them home in bags.
Today, many families have a big freezer at home and a microwave. Ready prepared meals such a pizza pies and many many other dishes which can be taken out of the freezer , heated up and ready to eat in just a few minutes, are becoming more popular with people who don’t have time to cook.

I like shopping. Shopping for me is a pleasure because I like buying clothes and cosmetics. But I especially dislike Christmas shopping because of the long queues. I like clothes shops and department stores.My mum does most of the shopping in our family. I think, the quality of goods is about the same than in other European countries. The prizes are high compared to people`s wages. Shop assistants should be more polite.

1, There are two main types of shops: those that are part of a chain or a group, and those that are individually owned. Large cities also have large department stores and huge shopping malls.

Supermarkets – the largest type of shop is called a hypermarket or superstore, which is a supermarket on a large scale and usually situated outside a town, where is space for a large cark park. It is very convenient to have so many products under one roof. Because supermarkets are so big, they are also able to lower the prices, making them cheaper than smaller shops. Then there is a handiness of not having to carry heavy bags of shopping along crowded streets but simply being able to unload them from the trolley into the boot of the car a few metres away.

But with so many people using the supermarkets, the smaller shops are finding it very difficult to compete. These shops cannot afford to stock such a wide range of products as the supermarkets and neither can they afford to sell thing as cheaply as supermarkets. However, they have also advantages. For example, old people living alone without cars don’t need to buy so much food as young families, and it is not very easy for them to travel to a supermarket, it is much easier for them to use smaller local shops.

Corner shops – are often open much longer than ordinary shops.
Markets – goods can be bought not only in shops and stores but also in outdoor markets. A market has several stalls, mostly selling cheap or second-hand goods, but also flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as meat and fish.

Drugstore – is a typically american kind of shop, which usually includes a chemist’s (pharmacy) but also sells food, alcoholic drinks, stationery and even clothes, as well as drink and snacks.

There are many kinds of shops ranging from large department stores, self-service shops and supermarkets to small specialised shops such as the grocer’s, baker’s, butcher’s, greengrocer’s, stationer’s, chemist’s, ironmonger’s (hardware shop), haberdasher’s, bookshop, footwear shop, boutique. Nowadays more and more customers prefer shopping in large department stores with self service, where everything can be found under the roof, to shopping in small specialised shops. However, some people still like shopping in small-specialised shops for their friendlier atmosphere.

- At the grocer’s people can buy foodstuff.
- At the baker’s various kinds of fresh bread, rolls, buns, pies and cakes can be bought.
- The butcher sells meat including pork, beef, lamb, veal and poultry.
- At the greengrocer’s and fruiterer’s we have wide selection of fruit and vegetables.
- The chemist’s is a specialised shop where people can buy medicines.
- Boutiques sell the latest fashion.