Shopping Discussion Questions

Shopping Discussion Questions

1. Please share and discuss the items on your shopping wishlist.
2. What are the last three things you purchased?
3. In an average month, how much do you spend on (food, clothing, coffee, alcohol, etc.)?
4. What are your favorite places (online and off) to shop for groceries, clothing, tech, etc.? Why?
5. How would you describe your shopping style?
   How does it differ from the shopping styles of different family members and friends?
6. Do you prefer to buy things that are trendy or timeless?
7. How often do people you know buy things from home shopping channels on TV?
8. Do you have any special shopping rituals? (things you wear, food breaks, post-shopping fashion shows, etc.)
9. Are you a bargain shopper? Do you compare prices before purchasing?
10. Do you like to haggle over prices?  Are you good at it? Where/When have you haggled?
11. What was the most expensive item you ever purchased? Was it an impulse buy?
12. Do you often return merchandise?  How do you feel when you do so?
13. What is your biggest shopping regret?
14. Do you prefer shopping alone or with someone?  Who is your favorite shopping buddy?
    Do you enjoy shopping with your family members (parents, siblings, cousins)?
15. How important are brand names to you?  Would you pay extra for the same quality merchandise because it has a brand name? What are your favorite brands?
16. What do you think are the biggest differences between shopping in Korea, China & other places like the U.S., Europe, or S.E. Asia?  (cost, service, selection, etc.)
17. What do you think are the most significant gender-based differences in shopping habits and attitudes?  (How do men & women shop differently?)

Assignment:  You have up to $5000 that you can spend on at least three things you really want. This can include clothing, technology, food, or anything else you want. You can buy things for yourself or for others, but you can’t just save the money.
Please post links in our group space to items you would like to buy along with short descriptions of why.

Vocabulary

• bargain (바겐): an item bought for less than the usual price; a good deal. Example sentence: “I got a great bargain on this jacket.”
• broke (파산한): having no money. Example sentence: “I’m broke this month.”
• budget (예산): a plan for spending money over a period of time. Example sentence: “I need to make a budget for my trip.”
• can’t afford it (그것을 감당할 수 없다): not having enough money to buy something. Example sentence: “I’d love to buy that dress, but I can’t afford it.”
• catalog (카탈로그): a book or magazine containing pictures and details of things that you can buy. Example sentence: “I ordered this dress from the catalog.”
• checkout counter (계산대): the place in a shop where you pay for your goods. Example sentence: “I’ll meet you at the checkout counter.”
• cost an arm and a leg (비싸다): to be very expensive. Example sentence: “This car cost me an arm and a leg.”
• discount (할인): a reduction in the usual price of something. Example sentence: “I got a 10% discount on this shirt.”
• extravagant (낭비하는): spending too much money or using too much of something. Example sentence: “She had an extravagant wedding.”
• Fits like a glove (맞는 것 같다): describes clothing that fits perfectly. Example sentence: “This dress fits like a glove.”
• fitting room (탈의실): a room in a shop where you can try on clothes before buying them. Example sentence: “I’ll go try this on in the fitting room.”
• go dutch (각자 계산하다): to share the cost of something equally between two or more people. Example sentence: “Let’s go dutch on dinner tonight.”
• haggle (흥정하다): to argue with someone about the price of something until you reach an agreement. Example sentence: “I haggled with the salesman until he gave me a better price.”
• impulse buy (충동 구매): something that you buy without planning to because you suddenly want it when you see it. Example sentence: “I made an impulse buy at the store today.”
• in stock (재고 있음): available for purchase because there is enough supply. Example sentence: “Is this item still in stock?”
• It’s a steal (저렴하게 산 것 같다): describes something that was bought for much less than its usual price; a great deal. Example sentence: “This watch was such a steal!”
• it’s on me (내가 쏜다): used to say that you will pay for something. Example sentence: “Don’t worry about the bill, it’s on me.”
• liquidation sale (청산 세일): a sale where a store sells all its goods at reduced prices because it is closing down. Example sentence: “I got some great deals at the liquidation sale.”
• loaded (부자인): having a lot of money. Example sentence: “He’s loaded and can afford anything he wants.”
• make ends meet (살림을 꾸리다): to have enough money to pay for basic expenses. Example sentence: “It’s hard to make ends meet on a minimum wage job.”
• money’s tight (돈이 부족하다): not having enough money. Example sentence: “Money’s tight this month, so I can’t go out.”
• Pay through the nose (비싸게 지불하다): to pay too much money for something. Example sentence: “I had to pay through the nose for that concert ticket.”
• receipt (영수증): a piece of paper that shows that you have bought something and how much you paid for it. Example sentence: “Don’t forget to get a receipt for your purchase.”
• refund (환불): an amount of money that is given back to you if you return something or if you are not satisfied with something you have bought. Example sentence: “I got a refund for the shirt that didn’t fit.”
• retail therapy (쇼핑으로 스트레스 해소하기): shopping as a way of making yourself feel better when you are unhappy or stressed. Example sentence: “I need some retail therapy after a long week at work.”
• rip off (비싸게 팔다): to sell something at an unfairly high price. Example sentence: “I feel like I got ripped off by that mechanic.”
• shop till you drop (죽을 때까지 쇼핑하다): to shop for a very long time without stopping, until you are too tired or have spent too much money. Example sentence: “We shopped till we dropped on our vacation.”
• shopaholic (쇼핑 중독자): someone who loves shopping and spends too much time and money doing it. Example sentence: “She’s a shopaholic and can’t resist buying new clothes.”
• shopping regret (쇼핑 후회): feeling bad about buying something after you have bought it. Example sentence: “I have shopping regret after buying those shoes I don’t really need.”
• shopping spree (쇼핑 투어): a period of time when someone goes shopping often and buys many things. Example sentence: “She went on a shopping spree in New York City.”
• spendthrift (낭비하는 사람): someone who spends too much money or wastes money on things they don’t need. Example sentence: “He’s such a spendthrift and never saves his money.”
• stall (가판대): a small shop with an open front or a table from which goods are sold. Example sentence: “I bought some fruit from the fruit stall at the market.”
• stingy (인색한): not wanting to spend money; unwilling to give or share things. Example sentence: “He’s so stingy he won’t even buy his own coffee.”
• stock up (비축하다): to buy more of something than you need so that you will have enough in the future. Example sentence: “I need to stock up on groceries before the storm hits.”
• talk shop (직장 이야기를 하다): to talk about work-related topics outside of work. Example sentence: “We always end up talking shop when we get together.”
• thrifty (검소한): using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully. Example sentence: “She’s very thrifty and always looks for a good deal.”
• tightwad (인색한 사람): someone who is unwilling to spend money; someone who is stingy. Example sentence: “He’s such a tightwad he won’t even buy his own coffee.”
• timeless (영원한): not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion. Example sentence: “The little black dress is a timeless classic.”
• to be a lemon (불량품이다): to be a product that does not work properly or is of poor quality. Example sentence: “I got a lemon of a car that was always breaking down.”
• trendy (유행하는): fashionable or up-to-date. Example sentence: “She’s always wearing the latest trendy clothes.”
• try something on (옷을 입어보다): to put on clothes in a store to see how they look and fit. Example sentence: “I need to try on these shoes before I buy them.”
• window shopping (창문 쇼핑): looking at goods in store windows without intending to buy anything. Example sentence: “We went window shopping at the mall for fun.”

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