Going shopping

Do you like window shopping? (ir de escaparates) I do! I love going window shopping and then buying things. Most shops in Britain open at 9 a.m. and close at 5:30 p.m. Most towns also have a market day (día de mercado) where you can buy clothes, food or flowers from stalls (tenderetes) in the street.

London also has specialised markets in Portobello Road and Petticoat Lane where you can often find bargains (gangas/chollos)

        

The High Street

Most towns in Britain have a High Street, which is where lots of the shops are located. You will find lots of world famous shops there – Marks and Spencer’s, Boot’s the chemist’s, and W.H. Smith’s the newsagent’s (quiosco).

Apart from those famous shops, there are other traditional shops where you can buy food or other goods. For example, if you need meat, you have to go to the butcher’s, (carnicería) but if you want fish, you have to go to the fishmonger’s.(pescadería) And where would you buy vegetables and fruit? In the greengrocer’s,(verdulería) that’s right. If you’re a smoker and you want to get some cigarettes, you have to go to the tobacconist’s.(estanco)

By the way, where do you buy stamps (sellos) in your country? In Britain, you can only buy stamps at the Post Office. Oh! And don’t forget to buy a lottery ticket there! The British lottery is on Wednesdays and Saturdays. You choose six numbers and mark them on a card.

How are you going to pay?

Once you have bought something in a shop, the shop assistant may ask you: “How are you going to pay?” If you have enough money with you, you can pay in cash (pagar en efectivo)

However, if you’ve bought something very expensive, you can pay with your credit card. Some shops also accept travellers’ cheques, but some don’t, so it’s safer (es más seguro) to take your credit card with you when you travel.