2.

Shopping

1. Do you often do the shopping?

I buy food almost every day in a small shop near my home. I do the shopping in a big
hypermarket at the weekend and buy all the necessary goods for the whole household.

2. Where do you usually buy food?

I buy bread and other bakery products at the baker’s. I go to the hypermarket to buy dairy
products: milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter. When I need some fresh meat, I go to the
butcher’s or the market hall. I buy the vegetables and fruit and the eggs either at the
greengrocer’s or at the market.

3. Do you prefer going shopping alone or with a friend?

I prefer shopping clothes with a friend as it’s too difficult for me to choose and decide
alone. I need his help and I trust his taste/megbízom az ízlésében/. I like buying food
alone since I always do it on my way home.

4. Do you prefer doing the shopping in smaller shops or big stores and supermarkets?
It depends on what I have to buy. As there is a small grocery store opposite our house, I
go there to do my daily shopping. When I have to buy lots of things, I go to a
hypermarket. I sometimes go to the market to buy fresh vegetables and fruits.
I buy my clothes in a boutique downtown where I can always find something that suits
and fits me.

5.What are the advantages or disadvantages of hypermarkets?

Their advantages are that you can find almost everything from food to gardening
equipment in one place and there is also a wide range of goods/széles választék/. There is
usually a place where the children can play while their parents are shopping. The
hypermarkets offer some products at reduced prices/kedvezményes áron/ and cards for
regular customers/törzsvásárló/. With these cards you can earn points that you can
exchange /beváltani/ for goods or services.
The disadvantages are that they are often crowded, especially at weekends. It’s difficult
to move with fully packed/telepakolt/ trolleys among the shelves. Even if you make a
shopping list before you go shopping, you tend to /hajlamos vagy/ forget about it and buy
more products than you wanted. You will always find goods on sale and spend more
money than you intended./szándékozik/.

6. What are the advantages or disadvantages of smaller shops?

In small shops the customer service is usually better than in bigger stores because the
shop assistants are more polite and friendlier than in hypermarkets. These shops are closer
to your home and aren’t so crowded and you don’t have to stand in a long queue.
Their disadvantages are that you can’t find as many brands as in big shops and they are
more expensive.

7. Do you prefer self-service or counter-service?

I prefer self-service because I need some time to look around and I usually hesitate what
to buy. If I have a problem I can still go to the shop assistants to ask for help.

8. Why do people go to the markets?

You can buy fresh products at markets directly from the producers.
9. What is e-commerce?
E-commerce is a business transaction, which is completed electronically using
telecommunication networks.

10. What is the reason for the popularity of plazas?

Plazas in Hungary are similar to shopping malls, where there are several shops,
restaurants and entertainment facilities, such as cinemas, bowling alleys, amusement
arcades, and squash courts. So people can do lots of things in one place.

11. How can you pay in shops?

I can pay cash or I can use my bank or credit card. If I don’t want to keep too much
money on me, I always use my credit card. Paying by cards is getting more and more
frequent and safer as I have to give my PIN code when I want to use my card. Moreover
it’s more expensive to withdraw money from cash dispensers than to pay by card in a
shop.

Vocabulary
Supermarket - élelmiszerbolt Product – termék
Department store - áruház Counter - pult
Branch - fióküzlet Cash desk - pénztár
Food department - élelmiszerosztály Cashier - pénztáros
Electrical appliances – műszaki osztály Receipt - blokk
Market - piac Banknote - papírpénz
Self-service shop – önkiszolgáló bolt Small change - aprópénz
Counter-service shop – nem Choice - választék
önkiszolgáló, pultos bolt Dairy products - tejtermékek
Boutique - butik Beverages - italok
Butcher’s - hentesbolt Basket - bevásárlókosár
Baker’s - pékség Trolley - bevásárlókocsi
Grocery - élelmiszerbolt Sale - leárazás
Jeweller’s – óra-ékszerbolt Price reduction - árcsökkentés
Stationer’s – papír-írószerbolt To make a complaint – panaszt tesz
Bookshop - könyvesbolt Delivery service - házhozszállítás
Shopkeeper - boltos Quality - minőség
To sell - eladni To be out of stock – kifogy valamiből
To buy - vásárolni
 At the post office

1.What services are available at the post office?

We can send/ post letters, postcards telegrams(távirat), parcels(csomag), money orders
(pénzutalvány).
We can deposit (put in) or withdraw (take out) money.
We can buy stamps, postcards, envelopes, lottery tickets, magazines, newspapers.
There are some telephone boxes from where we can make phone calls.
We can also subscribe to newspapers and magazines, which the postman will deliver to your
home.

2.Why did you last go to the post office?

My mother asked me to post a letter and send some money orders.