Shopping. Olympiad (Form 9)

Probably the best way to spend your money is to go shopping. Modern shopping centers do their best to prove that shopping can be fun. That’ s why they tend to combine shopping and leisure. A modern shopping Centre looks like a city under one roof where you can buy everything you need. Some modern shopping centers have recently been opened in our town. I mean “ Dionis’ and “ Streletsky Capital’. They are so modern, beautiful and pleasant to visit. There’s usually a cafeteria or a small café where you can have a bite or have dinner. There is also a Centre of photo service, where your film will be developed and your photos will be printed. Sometimes it is possible to participate in a lottery. There is a currency exchange bank, a chemist’s booth and what not.

On the ground floor there are supermarkets which offer a large variety of goods and competitive prices. They have long opening hours which suits most customers. They also have a good layout so customers do not waste much time trying to find what they need. To do purchases in a supermarket does not take a lot of time, because of self-service. There are long isles of food stacked on shelves and in freezers. Customers carry baskets or push trolleys. They merely select necessary products and pay for them to the cashier. You can pay either by card or in cash. Then you are given your change and a receipt. You should check your change carefully before you leave the shop. The only drawback is that sometimes there are long queues and the service is quite impersonal.

To encourage customers to buy things big shopping centers hold advertising campaigns and you can taste some sweets or juice or can be given a chocolate or a piece of soap free of charge. To make shopping convenient for all and everybody they can also offer their customers such things as a late-night shopping, special facilities for the elderly and disabled, shopping trolleys and baskets.

If you want to return something which you have bought to the shop, you may be given a refund, i.e. your money will be returned provided you have a receipt.

When you buy something in a shop you usually pay for it outright but sometimes you can buy on credit. People usually use this system to buy large or expensive things such as furniture or electrical goods which they want immediately, but sometimes find difficult to pay for them at once. It can be a very useful way of buying something expensive gradually. However it easy to get into trouble when paying on credit because you can start buying things you actually don’t need or can’t afford. Besides you have to pay some extra money, because very few shops offer interest-free credit.

A very good thing about shopping which has been introduced recently in our country is that sometimes you may be offered a discount or reduction on something you buy. For example, you might get 10 per cent off because you are a student. You are often offered a discount when you buy in bulk or when footwear or clothes are out of season.

People who don’t like going shopping can buy things by mail order. It is much easier to sit at home and choose things from the comfort of your own home than having to go to so many different shops. I personally never get things from mail order catalogues as they never have a good selection of clothes or anything else. Sometimes they can be of bad quality or they don’t fit.

Speaking about shopping you can’t but mention some new shops with a high level of service and wide range of goods which have recently appeared in big cities. They are also called boutiques. It is possible to acquire exclusive models from well-known designers there. Purchasing there anything you can be sure that it will be unique and of high quality. They provide a more personal service and the staff are trained to attend the customers patiently and politely. The only disadvantage is that they are too expensive and not everybody can afford them.

Normally it’s my parents who do the shopping for our family because they know exactly where to do the shopping and how much money they should spend on it. But I find shopping enjoyable because I like buying things both for my family and myself. Also I get a chance to find out what the latest fashions are.

Money

1, What do you know about the history of money?

At first people bartered which means they exchanged things they had for things they needed. Throughout their history people have used different things as money: knives and rice in China, cattle in Babylonia, tobacco in America, whales’ teeth and shells on the Pacific islands. The first coins were made from a mixture of gold and silver. But they were heavy and too difficult to carry. The government of France became the first in Europe to make paper money- banknotes or bills. But paper money was invented in China.

Now people carry plastic credit cards in their wallets instead of cash, which makes traveling even safer and more convenient. With your credit card you can take money from the cash-machine any time you need it. Many countries in Europe now have the same currency: all their coins and paper money are euros. This makes it easier to make financial deals between countries. And tourists can use the same kind of money. People traveling to other countries of the world usually need to convert their money into the local currency. For that an exchange rate is used.

2. How to make a family budget? Who should be responsible for the family budget?

If you budget you don’t just spend or save, you plan how to spend, you plan your expenses. Some of the money that comes into the family is usually spent on things like housing, school, clothes, food, cars and others. Grown-ups are not the only ones who have to worry about how to make both ends meet. Children must become more responsible too. For example if you want to buy a new video game you should make a budget to see if you can afford to put a few rubbles a week towards the new game. In case you have a budget deficit you should cut down your careless expenses and buy the things you really need. Some of the rich are rich not because they have always had a lot of money but because they have been budgeting and the poor are poor because they haven’t.

3. What is pocket money?

Pocket money is money given by a parent to a child every week or month, which the child can spend himself or herself.

4.Should children be given pocket money? What for? How much?

I personally think that children should be given pocket money. Of course they should do some things for free, like cleaning their own room. But they should be paid to do other chores like doing housework or baby-sitting. It will help them to understand that money doesn’t grow on trees and that you can’t buy everything you want. Everybody has to work and earn money. It will also teach them to budget and to be more responsible. The amount of money should depend on the family budget.

5. What do you spend your pocket money on?

I spend my pocket money on school things, sport and fitness, beauty products, birthday and holiday presents, books and magazines, mobile phones….

-How much money do you usually have on you every day?

- What do you think is better: to carry cash or a credit card?

- Have you ever taken money out of a cash-machine?

- Do you have both coins and banknotes in your country?

- Do you know what people used instead of money in ancient Belarus?

- Have you ever won in a lottery?

- Are you saving money? What for?

- Do you pay for your shopping in cash or by credit card?

- Have you ever lent money to someone. Did he/ she pay it back?

- Have you ever sold or bought anything on the Internet?

- How much does your dream car cost?

- What would you like to buy but can’t afford yet?

- How much money would you have to earn when you have a job?

- Have you ever borrowed money from someone?

- Do you ever give money to charity?

- How much money do you get from your parents?

- Do you save or spend your pocket money?

- What chores do you have to do? Do you get paid for them?

- Do you think children should do chores for free or get paid for that?

- What is the right amount of money children should get?

Do you like shopping? Why?

I can’t say that I’m a shopaholic. But I like shopping. If I go window-shopping I almost always buy something in the end. I’m always looking for something special and if it catches my eye and it’s good enough I just have to buy it. I prefer to buy clothes myself, but very often my mum buys a sweater or a scarf for me. And I don’t mind it at all. The main factor which influences me when I go shopping for clothes is the price. I don’t see the point in paying large sums of money on a designer item of clothing when you can buy something for half the price that looks just as good. I also pay attention to the color of the garment I want to buy and try to match it with clothes I already own.

You can’t but agree that shopping is a pleasant activity nowadays. Shop owners do their best to attract people into their shops. They try to create a nice comfortable shopping atmosphere. They use different tricks, for example play music, have lights like a club, decorate their shops with posters and balloons and so on.

What questions will you ask a shop assistant to help you to choose a purchase?

Can you help me to choose a nice evening dress? Can I try this dress on, please? Where is the changing room? Does the color suit me? Have you got this dress in a different color? Does it look a bit tight? Have you got this dress in a bigger size? How much does it cost?

What questions can you ask your friend about the best shopping places in your town?

Are there many shopping places in your town? What is your favorite shop? Is it close to your house? Is the atmosphere nice? Are the shop-assistants polite and friendly? Are the prices reasonable?

Pocket Money

I think that children should be given pocket money as they should learn how to budget their expenses. Otherwise when they get older they’ll have no idea how to look after their money. Having pocket money helps young children to develop self control and understanding the value of money. They can also learn about saving.

I definitely believe that children should work for their pocket money by doing such things as washing up, doing the gardening, cleaning the flat etc. That makes them understand the value of money and learn that money “doesn’t grow on trees”. They learn to respect money if they work to earn it.

As far as I know a new subject “Financial Literacy” has recently been introduced in British schools. English children learn how to manage their pocket money, the benefits of saving and spending, bank accounts and family budgets. I think it would be a good idea to include the subject “Money” into the curriculum of our school. Money is one of the most fascinating things ever developed by man. We can’t live without money because every day we buy food, clothes

and other necessary things. There are three main things that money does for us. First it makes possible exchange and trade. Second, we use money to measure and compare the values of various things. Third, it is easy to carry about and store up for future use. So why not learn more about it at school. I would like to learn how to open a bank account, what to do to get a check book or a bank card, I’d like to get some information about the rate of exchange or the traveller’s cheesy.

My parents give me pocket money regularly, I usually get about 10 thousand a week. Managing my own money gives me a lot of choices. I can spend my money on sweets and crisps, I can buy a computer game or a video cassette. Sometimes I have to save up for something special. Actually I enjoy spending money on myself and my relatives.

Of course if I had 10,000 $ a week I would go on holiday to an exotic island or would buy a car and a luxurious mansion in the country. But I would also give some money to cancer and AIDS research and donate some money to charity.

Money

What else can I say about money. I know some proverbs about money. For example “Money doesn’t grow on trees” It means that you have to work hard and a lot to earn it. “ Money is the root of all evil” It means that very often money spoils people” There are songs about money. A famous one is “ Money cannot buy me love”. It’s really true. Money gives you the chance to buy practically everything you need. But it cannot buy you love, understanding, friendly attitude. And what is not less important it can’t buy health.

Hobbies. Free time