Shop till you drop

Shop till you drop

Some people cannot stand shopping, others can spend all day shopping. How about you? There’s a big difference between shopping for everyday things like groceries and for something you’re really interested in, like clothes or electronic goods. Many Norwegians take weekend breaks to go shopping in England. If you go to the main shopping centres in Manchester or London, you’re very likely to hear people talking Norwegian. Not the shop assistants, though. In English shops you have to speak English.

Some people love hunting down bargains or buying things on offer. You can save more than just a few pence doing this, and if you don’t have much money, that’s important. Another way to save money is to buy things online. Home shopping used to be based on ordering things from catalogues. Now there are thousands of companies all over the world selling goods online, as well as giant companies like Amazon which promise next day delivery. That’s a useful option if you want something cheaply and quickly. However there is a price to pay for convenience. People who work for large online companies often don’t have very good working conditions.

Another thing to bear in mind is that global online corporations and big name superstores, which sell everything from teabags to TVs, often put small local shops out of business. These are often what make town centres interesting, and they are part of a town’s character. But small, specialist shops simply don’t earn any money if you just look at things there and then order what you want online.

So what do you think people should do? Buy online or support their local shops?