Shopping problems

Why do people lose their tempers so often when they are out at the shops? Julia Kandinsky went to find out.

As you wander round the store doing your weekly shopping, you may not feel self-conscious, but there is almost certainly somebody watching you, usually on closed circuit television, and usually to catch thieves. Last week, the observer might have been me, as I joined psychologist Dr Mike Edwards for a day to watch customers over closed circuit television at a branch of SuperCarry MegaStores. 1. F - I was not there to surprise shoplifters, but to observe the behaviour of men and women while they shop together.

Dr Edwards is employed by SuperCarry MegaStores on a research project to find out why men and women do not get on with each other when shopping. 2. H - Shops are interested in making money, and that means giving shoppers an enjoyable experience, where they spend their money and want to return. Marital quarrels are one of the main reasons why customers leave shops feeling unhappy, and one of the circumstances which stores have least control over.

The biggest problem, according to Mike Edwards, is to provide what he calls compatible shopping for both the husband and the wife. Apparently as many as fifty percent of Saturday morning shopping trips end up in quarrels between husbands and their wives. 3. B - These disagreements can be very public, and sometimes they get quite physical. I watched, horrified, as men shouted at women, women burst into tears, children were slapped, men walked off in fury, and all this in a public place where people supposedly come to have a good time.

"Unfortunately," says Dr Edwards, "when men and women go shopping they are interested in different things, and they have different objectives. Women are more interested in clothes. 4. I - They are more likely to spend time comparing prices and looking for exactly what they want. Men, on the other hand, like to hurry through the routine shopping, and get to the machines and gadgets which interest them." Where women see shopping as an outing, men see it more as a chore.

We spent an hour focused on the women's clothing section of the store. "A typical quarrel here is where the woman is trying on a piece of clothing, and she says to her husband: "Doesn't this make me look fat?" and he answers: "Yes, it does." 5. A - And she gets angry with him because she feels he is insulting her. Many women hesitate a lot over what clothes to buy, but if they go with their husbands, the chances are they won't buy any."

cont'd...

...cont'd

The problem, apparently, is that when women take their husbands on an expedition shopping for clothes, the clothes are not the most important thing. 6. E - What they are looking for is admiration from their partner, and reassurance that he still finds her attractive. The partner often does not realise this, and when the admiration is not forthcoming, there are often fireworks. Mike Edward's job is to come up with ways in which to avoid shopping conflicts, so that customers will part with their money happily, instead of leaving the shop in a huff.

"Men often feel that they could be doing something more interesting than shopping, and they say so." says Dr Edwards, "7. G - They make remarks to the children about how they could be out playing football, or watching something on TV. They start the shopping trip by deliberately driving badly, so as to cause a bad atmosphere. When you think that this is Britain's number one leisure activity, it makes you wonder how people enjoy other areas of their free time.

And the solution? According to Dr Edwards, shops have to pay careful attention to design and layout. 8. C - Just as nowadays they provide play areas for children, so that parents can concentrate on the more serious task of spending their money, so they have to provide sections of shops which will appeal to men situated close to those which women are attracted to. "In this way, we can make each member of the family feel that there's something in it for them, and they won't therefore stir up unnecessary arguments. If the wife is allowed to quietly buy herself a new dress, the husband will feel able to reward himself with a new computer game or garden tool."
Extra sentence: D It is estimated that last year shops lost over £30 billion in the UK for this reason.
 
Feeling angry
Quarrelling
lose your temper
fury
in a huff

disagreements
arguments
conflict
1. get on (well) with
 c) have a good relationship with
2. walk off f) walk away
3. focus on d) concentrate on
4. try on h) put on clothes to see if they fit
5. part with a) spend
6. come up with e) find, discover
7. stir up b) cause (trouble, conflict)
8. carry out g) do (research)
I normally get on well with my husband, but not when it comes to shopping. As soon as I set foot in a clothes shop, he tries to escape - I can't even try on a pair of trousers before he remembers something important he has to buy in a nearby shop. Sometimes he comes up with absurd excuses, like he has to get a new parking ticket when we are at a shopping centre with free parking! Other times I think he tries to stir up an argument, so that he has an excuse to walk off in a huff. You might think he is reluctant to part with his money, but in fact he's a very generous man. He says he'd buy me the whole shop to avoid having to spend five minutes in one! I've heard that psychologists are carrying out research to find out why men have such a shopping problem. I'd like one of them to focus his research on my husband!
The correct answer is in blue and the reference from the text is given below each item.
1 What do we learn about the writer in the first paragraph?
A He was happy to have the chance to make a speech.
B He was starting in a new profession.
C He knew some of the people at the reception.
D He had just got married.
... my first job as a trainee manager ...
2 Why did he make his first speech?
A He was bored with routine work.
B He had had some practice previously at school.
C Someone threatened him.
D He wanted the opportunity.
...you're on in five minutes, or you're out of a job.
3 Why did the audience laugh when he began his first speech?
A Because he said something obvious.
B Because he said something very funny.
C Because they were in a good mood.
D Because he was enjoying speaking.
... looking quite a lot younger than my nineteen years, "unaccustomed as I am to public speaking..."
4 When does the writer work as a toastmaster?
A Every day.
B Just at ceremonies in his hotel.
C At ceremonies all over the country.
D Whenever the opportunity arises.
...when I have the chance, I start the speeches ...
5 Why does he avoid drinking while he is working?
A It is considered bad manners.
B People will notice that he has been drinking.
C It is important to be in complete control of the situation.
D If things go wrong, people won't forget it.
... these occasions are ones which they will remember for the rest of their lives, so everything has to go smoothly.
6 According to the writer, some people don't enjoy celebrations because
A Not enough attention is paid to them.
B They don't feel well.
C The jokes are not funny.
D They feel they are being watched.
... or that person who feels neglected ...
7 According to the writer, the toastmaster should not
A try to make people laugh.
B talk about people who are attending the celebration.
C try to make the most important speech.
D study the subject beforehand.
... but without overshadowing the main speakers, who it is your job to introduce ...
 
8 Why was the husband in the last paragraph angry?
A The writer hadn't spoken to him.
B He was speaking in an inappropriate style.
C The party was badly organised.
D The husband wanted to speak first.
... get the right degree of formality or informality into each particular occasion ...
The words and expressions on the left all occurred in the text. Join them to their correct definitions.

1. dos

h) parties (an informal word)
2. applaud d) clap one's hands
3. tricks of the trade i) special skills of the job
4. propose a toast g) ask people to drink to someone's health or success
5. go smoothly b) happen without problems
6. obstreperous c) difficult, causing problems
7. complimentary remarks e) saying nice or pleasant things about someone
8. affability f) friendliness
9. protagonist
a) most important person at an event, or in a film or novel

1. banquet

 (d) formal ceremonial meal
2. reception (a) official formal party to celebrate some event such as a wedding
3. anniversary (f) celebration to mark the day when something happened in the past
4. ceremony (e) formal event such as a wedding, or the opening of a new museum
5. inauguration (c) opening of a new building
6. function (b) formal ceremony often involving government officials

Explanation

  1. Someone who receives something has the suffix -ee. For example, someone who is given an interview is an interviewee. Someone who is given a job is an employee. Someone who receives training is a ...
  2. Change the verb to a plural noun by adding -ions.
  3. You are changing from a verb to a noun, but the root of the word has to change, and then you add –tions.
  4. Change from a verb to a noun by adding -ment.
  5. Change from a verb to a noun by adding -ant. This is often for people who do things: someone who immigrates is an immigrant, someone who has to defend himself in court is the defendant.
  6. Here, you change from a verb to an adjective, by adding -ible, and from an adjective to a noun by adding -ibility. Be careful with the spelling: it's not -ability in this case.
  7. Change from a verb to an adjective by adding -ive. The noun is offence. Like defend, defence, and defensive.
  8. Change from an adjective to a noun by adding -ity, and then make it negative by adding in-.
  9. Change from a verb to adjective by adding -ious.
  10. Change from a verb to an adjective by adding -ary.
In this e-m@il lesson you have:
Practised for parts 2 and 3 of the reading paper
Looked at some multi-word verbs in context
Developed your word-building skills
This is the final e-m@il lesson practising FCE paper 1. The next e-m@il lesson focuses on FCE paper 3, the Use of English paper. It looks at part 1 of this paper, provides practise in answering multiple choice exercises, and develops your vocabulary connected to crime and punishment.