Rzeczpospolita
Ekonomia

Lekcja 21: ‘SUPER’ markets

Supermarkets have their roots in the 19th century. The first supermaket was opened in the 1840s in England by a group of local retailers who decided to join forces and sell food at affordable prices

Publikacja: 05.02.2008 23:32

Malwina Staszak

1. Where do you usually do your shopping? I do it in my local supermarket.

2. Do you always shop in the same store? I do, to avoid travelling too far.

3. Are you tempted by the offered bargains? I always fall for the discounts.

4. When do you like to shop, during the week or at the weekend? Friday night is the best time for me.

Today the expansion of supermarkets has brought fear from small local producers and satisfaction from consumers that are given more choices. What is more, supermarkets have turned into hypermarkets offering over 50,000 or more square ft.of shopping area on the outskirts of town introducing a new shopping culture. This culture is shaping our landscape, our health and the way we interact socially, and these changes are going unchallenged because of our fast food lifestyles.

First and foremost supermarkets introduced the idea of one-stop shopping, meaning you can find everything under one roof. Secondly, they have popularized the idea of self-service. Customers can reach onto shelves and inspect individual products as well as check their prices. Self-service thus spurred the growth of mass merchandising. Food manufacturers are not as dependent on wholesalers to get their products on store shelves. Thirdly, they contributed to suburban sprawl. Finally, they encouraged innovation, leading to the advent of the shopping trolley and the bar code.

Supermarkets are constantly involved in fierce battles for market share and customers. Strategies have varied from intense price competition to loyalty schemes, as well as constant in-store innovation on products. Supermarkets take advantage of the increased number of people eating out. They have responded by opening fastfood restaurants and bars. Pharmacies, dry cleaners and post offices are beginning to appear in superstores making shopping easier and convenient.

In spite of tough competition and protests of local small-shop owners, supermarkets, shopping malls and hypermarkets have become part of our lifestyle which will continue to change as the supermarkets evolve.

bargains – something on sale at a lower price than it’s true value (interes)

into the bargain – in addition to other facts previously mentioned (ponadto, dodatkowo)

to drive a hard bargain – to expect a lot in exchange for what you pay or do (stawiać twarde warunki)

He is a handsome, intelligent and brilliant actor into the bargain.

He drives a hard bargain when it comes to selling his artwork.What new bargains have you found?

fall for - to be tricked into believing something that is not true (dał się nabrać)

roots – origins (korzenie)

affordable – something that can be bought (w przystępnej cenie)

shelves – a long flat board fixed horizontally, usually against a wall or inside a cupboard so that objects can be stored on it (półki)

spurred – to encourage an activity or development or make it happen faster (zachęta)

wholesalers – someone who buys and sells goods in large amounts to shops and businesses (hurtownik)

sprawl – to cover a large area of land with buildings which have been added at different times so that it looks untidy (bezładnie rozlana zabudowa miejska)

bar code – a small rectangular pattern of thick and thin black lines printed on an item (kod kreskowy)

fierce – strong and powerful (zacięty)

evolve – to develop gradually (ewoluować, przekształcać się)

1. If you want to check the price of the product, hold it under the hand-held scanner that reads the .....................

2. I’m too short to reach the top ............Ca you help me?

3. What would ..............the economy to a faster growth?

4. The huts of the homeless are .......around the outskirts of the city.

Wersja audio

odpowiedzi na www.archibald.pl

inne lekcje - www.rzeczpospolita.pl/angielski_z_rp/

© Licencja na publikację
© ℗ Wszystkie prawa zastrzeżone
Źródło: Rzeczpospolita

1. Where do you usually do your shopping? I do it in my local supermarket.

2. Do you always shop in the same store? I do, to avoid travelling too far.

Pozostało 95% artykułu
Firmowy Mikołaj częściej zaprosi pracowników na świąteczną imprezę
Praca
Firmowy Mikołaj częściej zaprosi pracowników na świąteczną imprezę
Nowe pełne energii BMW serii 1. Stworzone z myślą o Tobie. Zapytaj o ofertę
Materiał Promocyjny
Nowe pełne energii BMW serii 1. Stworzone z myślą o Tobie. Zapytaj o ofertę
https://track.adform.net/adfserve/?bn=77855207;1x1inv=1;srctype=3;gdpr=${gdpr};gdpr_consent=${gdpr_consent_50};ord=[timestamp]
AI ułatwi pracę menedżera i przyspieszy karierę juniora
Praca
AI ułatwi pracę menedżera i przyspieszy karierę juniora
Przybywa doświadczonych specjalistów wśród freelancerów
Praca
Przybywa doświadczonych specjalistów wśród freelancerów
Portugalia podniesie w przyszłym roku wiek emerytalny. Powodem wydłużająca się średnia długości życi
Praca
Europejski kraj podnosi wiek emerytalny. Zmiany już od 1 stycznia 2025
Bank Pekao wchodzi w świat gamingu ze swoją planszą w Fortnite
Materiał Promocyjny
Bank Pekao wchodzi w świat gamingu ze swoją planszą w Fortnite
Kobieta pracująca żadnej pracy się nie boi!
Praca
Kobieta pracująca żadnej pracy się nie boi!
Jaecoo J7 w leasingu od 1670 zł/mies.
Materiał Promocyjny
Jaecoo J7 w leasingu od 1670 zł/mies.
e-Wydanie