London is the shopping capital of the world. Every year millions of overseas visitors shop here. But what makes shopping here so great? There’s only one way to find out. I’m off to do some shopping – follow me!
At Harrods
Knightsbridge is famous for upmarket shopping. This is where the rich and famous come to buy… their socks. And this is the one and only Harrods… the ultimate in luxury. Even royalty shop here. If I’m lucky, I might see someone famous.
If only they had it in my size. Lovely! Thank you!
Done quite well there – what’s next? Taxi! Harvey Nichols, please.
At Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols – or ‘Harvey Nicks’ for short – is a great place for designer fashion.
Well, I had to buy couple of things… What?
At Hamleys
The biggest toy shop in the world – now you’re talking!
So cute… err… it’s not for me.
Oxford Street
London’s Oxford Street is retail heaven. It’s got over 2 kilometres of shops to choose from… and, of course, Selfridges for shopping with style. Taxi!
Could you drop all this off home for me, please? I’m off to explore a different sort of shopping in Britain.
If you like shopping all under one roof, then there are big shopping centres all over Britain. The Olympic-sized shopping centre at Westfield, Stratford, is huge. With over 300 shops, it’s one of the largest shopping centres in Europe.
At Lock's
Great shopping isn’t just about big shops. Smaller shops can offer something special too. Tucked away in the heart of Piccadilly is a great shopping gem. Lock’s sell that must-have in gentlemen’s fashion: the hat! Lock’s opened in London in 1679. Their hats can be seen across the world. They pride themselves on their personal service.
Richard: Sue Simpson is a hat specialist. Hi Sue.
Sue: Oh, hi Richard.
Richard: Wow, a bowler hat, you don’t see many of those these days, do you?
Sue: Well, we don’t call it a ‘bowler’ here at Lock’s, we call it a ‘coke hat’ because it was invented in 1850 for Thomas Coke…
Richard: …by this very shop.
Sue: …by this very shop and we still call it a ‘coke’ to this day.
Richard: Ah, the classic top hat. When would I wear that?
Sue: That’s a beautiful silk top hat. You would wear that for a society wedding, or the time you see most of them is at Ascot, which is the famous race meeting in June.
Richard: So what’s your best-seller here at Lock’s?
Sue: Our best-seller would be a classic tweed cap or this trilby here, which is called a ‘Voyager’, and the novelty of this one…
Richard: …is it folds up so you can pop it into your luggage.
Sue: …pop it into your luggage.
Richard: Excellent. Is that a deerstalker?
Sue: Similar to a deerstalker, but this is a country cap with a fastening that goes over the top. And this was invented originally for wearing in open-top cars, but now it’s more commonly worn on the hills out shooting and this keeps the ears warm and stops it blowing away.
Richard: I like it; I’ll take this one.
Comments
thank you very much.
In Brazil, it is difficult to find traditional stores like in London. Here, it is common to find stores selling products of different brands, but with the same category. Except by the multinationals with branches here.
For those of you trying to watch this video from China, the "Great Firewall of China" blocks this video player. You will need a VPN to watch it.
thanks! and I also found some difficulties registering a new account on China learnenglish website (somehow a "Page not found" pops out during password reset), A switch back to learnenglish.britishcouncil.org to continue to setup a password worked it out.
Hi. i have questions.
how non native speakers who come to the English countries learn English? I know he/she goes to English class but how long does it take to be fluency in English?
Thanks
Hi xxx1360,
There is no answer to this question, I'm afraid, as it really is different for different people. Time, motivation, language skills, needs... there are many variables.
Best wishes,
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
"Done quite well there", what does it mean, please? i can not understand this!!!
Hello Ken,
Here he's left out the words 'I've', i.e. what he's really saying is 'I've done quite well there'. It's not completely clear, but I think what he means is that he's done a good job with his shopping - he's bought what he needed and enjoyed himself.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
this video remind me about shopping in London, specially the hat shop. I remember when my husband took me there, I was so surprised about the design and of course the price too, as I'm from a country where most of the thing are very cheap. anyway, after few years of living with my husband my mind has changed a bit, it is worth to pay for famous brand and seem like the stuffs from there will be last forever
Hi Mango,
I agree with you about the quality of products sold by famous firms. Anyway, especially for apparel, accessories and footwear, I prefer to buy cheaper stuff. It is true: in this case, the “items” won’t last long, but I have the opportunity to change them more often, as they are cheap, and obviously, I can “update” my dressing style at the same time.
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