Do you love to shop?
Irrespective of whether you’re a shopaholic, always on the lookout for great deals, or detest shopping, we’ve got to agree that there’s no way we can escape it. In today’s consumerist world, we’ve got to shop to survive. Whether shopping for groceries or fashion apparel, shopping is a social activity intricately linked to our day-to-day lives.
The shopping module is one of my favourite lessons in my English fluency online classes. We have loads of fun practising the common phrases, idioms and other shopping-related words. In this post, I share a few common English phrases you can use the next time you head to your local mall, supermarket, or farmer’s market.
The most basic one. When you ask someone, “how much is it?” you’re asking for the price. So, if you’re in Europe, you’ll ask, “How much is it?” and the shopkeeper will respond, “It’s €10,” “It’s €100,” and so on.
You’re likely to use this phrase a lot, especially when you shop at the local flea or roadside markets, where vendors do not list the price on the object.
When you go apparel shopping, you’re likely to find a piece that you like but want in a different size. You can ask the salesperson, “Excuse me. I love this top. Do you have it in another size or colour?”
If you’re shopping for clothing, you probably want to try it before paying for it. While most clothing stores allow customers to try on items before they purchase them, it’s better to ask before you try them. So, if you like a piece of clothing, you can ask, “I love this skirt. Can I try it on?”
Sometimes you pay and buy an item. When you get home, you feel that you no longer like it. Or you might buy a gift for someone, and the person who received the gift has no use for it. In these cases, you might want to return the item and receive a refund or exchange it for something else. Whatever the case, it’s always a good idea to check the returns policy before purchasing an item. You can ask the salesperson at the store, “Excuse me, do you take returns?” or “What’s the return policy on this?”
The salesperson will then explain the store’s returns policy and let you know which items you can return.
This is another common phrase you’re likely to use when shopping. Sometimes restaurants and stores accept only cash or debit cards. It makes sense to know how you can pay for the shopping ahead of time. Here are a few other related phrases to use:
Often stores announce seasonal sales when you can buy your favourite goods at discount prices. However, the problem is that only a few items are on sale and others are sold at regular prices. If you’re unsure which items are on sale, you can ask a sales assistant, “Is this on sale?” or “Can you direct me to the sale rack?”.
When you purchase more expensive goods like electronics, furniture, or jewellery, the salespeople can offer extra discounts or a small freebie. The salesperson might provide a free low-value item like a free backpack, etc. So, it’s always worth asking, “Can you throw in any extras?”
When you ask, “may I see it?” it means you want a closer look at something. For example, jewellery stores lock precious items behind glass. So, if you see a beautiful ring and want a closer look, you can ask the jewellery store assistant, “May I see this ring?” The salesperson will remove it and give it to you to try.
This is another helpful phrase to use when you go shopping. Sometimes, locating a particular item on your shopping list is challenging. So, instead of wasting your time walking up and down the aisles, trying to see it, you can ask the sales assistant for help. Ask the sales assistant, “Excuse me, I’m looking for pet food. Can you show me where it is?”
Sometimes, you might visit a store to browse or window shop. The shop assistant might ask you if you need help or are looking for anything specific. You can say, “I’m just looking, thanks,” which means that you don’t need any help and would like to continue browsing on your own.
Imagine this scenario. You take a friend or date out for lunch, and when it’s time for the bill, you would love to do the honours. So, how do you handle the situation? You can say, “It’s on me,” when you want to give a gift or treat to someone. You can also say, “Don’t worry about it. The bill’s on me.”
While we all love shopping 24 hours a day, sadly, most stores stay open for a limited time. You can ask the sales assistant, “What time do you close?” or “Is the store open on Sundays?” to learn more about the shop’s operating hours.
This brings us to the end of this article. Watch out for this space for more exciting articles for speaking English fluently. If you have any questions or comments, you can leave them below and check out my online lessons to talk English fluently in personal and professional situations.
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