Shopaholic vocabulary: interacting with sellers abroad

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Shopping is as much a worthy part of a trip abroad as visiting some important ruins and tasting local delicacies. After all, a London-based independent T-shirt as a souvenir is far more interesting than a Big Ben magnet. Experienced travelers and shopaholics at Skyeng Online English School tell you what English phrases you need to inspect overseas boutiques and malls.

Shot from the movie "Sex and the City"

Showroom or drugstore?

Before you go shopping, you need to know where to go and what to expect there.

Of course, for a traveler who has only a couple of days left, the most convenient shopping center is a shopping center or a mall. The word mall is used more often, but in fact, both terms mean the same thing - a giant store with hundreds of famous brands. Beauty salons, cafes, cinemas and other entertainments also work right there.

If your goal is to hunt for something unique and unrepeatable, then it makes sense to look for a showroom - a small independent brand store, often combined with a workshop. However, sometimes this word is also used for shops for professional buyers, where they select goods, but you can hardly accidentally wander into such a place. People come to professional showrooms by appointment and there are no people from the street.

If your goal is to spend less and buy more, look for an outlet or retail park. Both words mean shopping centers where you can buy things from famous brands at very significant discounts. An outlet can resemble a regular shopping mall or a mini-town of boutiques, while a retail park is something like a giant garage without frills. Such shops are located, if not outside the city limits, then on the outskirts, where land is cheaper.

You can get hold of cosmetic novelties not only in the appropriate stores, but also in pharmacies. But not all of them. If you see the sign “pharmacy” above the pharmacy, walk by - this is the name of the classic pharmacies that sell prescription drugs. But in the drugstore you can buy not only pills for the head and cough syrup, but also cosmetics, perfumes, all kinds of things for baths, personal hygiene items and sweets.

Dreamstime.com/Jovanmandic

Useful shopping phrases

Of course, you can buy half of the spring-summer collection in silence, but still sometimes you have to communicate with sellers.

Here are some useful phrases for shopping in England, America and any other country where English is more popular than Russian:

Could you help me, please? - Could you help me?

Excuse me, could I ask you something? - I beg your pardon, can I ask you something?

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How much is this / How much does it cost? - How much is it?

Do you have this in large / small? - Do you have a larger / smaller size?

Have you got this in red / blue / black? - Do you have the same, only red / blue / black?

May I try this on, please? - Can I try it?

Where is a fitting room / a cash desk? - Where is the fitting room / cash desk?

This is not my size - This is not my size

Can you bring me one size up / down please? - Could you bring one size up / down, please?

These shoes are too tight - These shoes are too tight

It’s not quite what I wanted - This is not quite what I wanted

How does it fit? - Does it fit well?

It seems to fit well - It seems to fit well

I'll have it, please - I'll take it.

123RF / prostooleh

I'm just browsing, thanks. - I'm just looking, thanks

Is this on sale? - Is it on sale?

Can I bring this back if it does not fit? - Can I return this if it doesn't fit?

I'd like to pay in cash / credit card - I want to pay in cash / card

Could you wrap it, please? - Could you wrap it up?

You've probably noticed how many of these standard phrases are words of courtesy - thanks (thanks), please (please) and excuse me (sorry). This stems not so much from an excess of good manners as from the stylistic norms of the English language. In English-speaking countries, these words are used much more often than in Russia. Therefore, unnecessary please in a conversation with the seller never hurts.