Shopping is an essential part of daily life, and when travelling to any country, it’s often difficult to navigate shopping in a foreign language. This article will teach you the essential English shopping vocabulary, which will not only be useful for shopping in anglophone countries, but any country, given the fact that English is the universal language.
Different places
Shopping Centre –‘an area or complex of shops.’
Supermarket– a large self-service shop selling foods and household goods.’
Market – a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.’
Grocers – a person who sells food and small household goods.
Pharmacy : a shop or hospital dispensary where medicinal drugs are prepared or sold.
Fishmonger : a person or shop that sells fish for food.
Newsagent : a shopkeeper who sells newspapers and magazines, and things such as cigarettes and sweets.
Bakery : a place where bread and cakes are made or sold.
Thrift / Second hand shop: A shop is a shop which sells used goods.
At the Supermarket – Different Aisles
Meat – the flesh of an animal, typically a mammal or bird, as food
Dairy – milk products
Furniture – the movable articles that are used to make a room or building suitable for living or working in, such as tables, chairs, or desks.
Electronic equipment – devices which operate using many small electrical parts such as, but not limited to, microchips, transistors or circuits
Organic – Foods produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial chemicals.
Kitchenware – tools, utensils, appliances, dishes, and cookware used in food preparation, or the serving of food
Household cleaners – Household cleaning products means any product including but not limited to soaps, detergents, laundry bleaches and laundry additives used for domestic or commercial cleaning purposes, including but not limited to the cleaning of fabrics, dishes, food utensils and household and commercial premises.
Beauty / Cosmetics – skincare, personal care, fragrance, haircare and colour products
At the Supermarket – General Vocabulary
To go shopping – to visit places where goods are sold in order to look at and buy things
Shopping list – a shopping list is a list of items needed to be purchased by a shopper
To pay – to give someone money
To buy – obtain in exchange for payment
To queue – a line or sequence of people awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed
Cashier – a person handling payments and receipts in a shop, bank, or business
Basket – a container used to hold or carry things, typically made from interwoven strips of cane or wire
Trolly – a large metal basket or frame on wheels, used for transporting heavy or large items, such as supermarket purchases or luggage at an airport or railway station
Bag – a flexible container with an opening at the top, used for carrying things
Money – a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes; coins and banknotes collectively
Change – money returned to someone as the balance of the sum paid for something
Bill – a printed or written statement of the money owed for goods or services
Discount – a deduction from the usual cost of something
On Sale – offered for purchase at a reduced price
Loss Leader – a product sold at a loss to attract customers
A bargain – something bought much cheaper than expected
Product / item – an article or substance that is manufactured or refined for sale
Expensive – costing a lot of money.
Cheaper – costing little money
