Bargain Hunting
Listen again for Karen's advice on shopping.
Some words in the listening:
slash: (=cut) to greatly reduce an amount, price etc - used especially in newspapers and advertising
wardrobe: a wooden cupboard where you keep your clothes
hideous: extremely ugly
frantically: extremely hurried
sale rail: a rail or stand in a shop which has reduced price clothes on it
pantaloons: loose-fitting usually shorter than ankle-length trousers, old-fashioned
polka dotted: a pattern with lots of dots or spots
impulse: a sudden desire
The Art of Haggling (abc news)
Some words in the news
age-old, shopping technique, malls, chain stores, plasma TV, retailers, fixed prices, give in, discounts
give in: to finally agree to do or accept something that you had at first opposed, especially because someone has forced or persuaded you to
Consumers are finding a potential silver lining around the sagging economy.
(Every cloud has a silver lining: used to say that there is something good even in a situation that seems very sad or difficult)
(sagging: to become weak)
BestBuy, Circuit City, and Home Depot are big chain stores in the U.S.
There's room for negotiation. (= It can be discussed.)
They need a little coaching. (= They need some lessons. They need to learn the skills.)
Many still find the mere thought of bargaining devastatingly embarrassing.
Questions to think about:
1. Do you feel comfortable bargaining in a store?
2. What are some good ideas to get a bargain?