There is a great variety of shops in the United States, ranging from very large stores called “department stores”, offering clothing, furniture, household goods as well as many other goods, to very small shops that specialize in just one kind of product. There are “discount houses” offering goods at low prices, and “dime stores” specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items.

Most department stores in large cities carry average to better quality products at average to higher prices. However, they offer the shoppers great convenience since they contain such a wide variety of products.

If convenience isn’t important to you as price, you may want to shop in some of the discount houses. These stores have nearly as great a variety of goods as department stores, but offer lower prices. They do so for several reasons. They don’t offer the same services to buyers that department stores do; there may be fewer sales people; and the stores probably don’t deliver purchases.

Another popular shop is the “dime stores” sometimes referred to as the “five and ten”. No longer selling many things for five or ten cents, these stores got their name in the last century when it was decided that a small profit on a great quantity of goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. Dime stores specialize in a wide variety of inexpensive items and today, prices range from a quarter or 50 cents up to several dollars. If you need a small item and don’t want to spend very much, the dime store is likely to have just what you are looking for.

Do you like to shop online? Or do you prefer' to go into a store and look at a product? 【小题1】

One common shopper strategy is "show rooming." This means that customers go into a store, look at the product and talk to a salesperson.【小题2】 "Reverse (逆向) show rooming" is another strategy. Customers first go online to do research and then go into a store to get the product. One thing is for certain: shoppers are now using many strategies to get the best price.

The number of online shoppers is rising, but not as fast as retailers (零售商) first thought. People still like to go into stores. 【小题3】 Shopping for them is not about finding the best price. It's a social experience.

In order to keep customers coming into stores, managers need to train salespeople well. In-store shoppers want salespeople to give them a lot of attention, be polite, and know a lot about the product.

What products do shoppers like to buy online?【小题4】 It's easy to research these products and compare prices online.

However, online shopping doesn't work for every product. People prefer to shop for food in a store. If you're buying a new car, you can research prices online.【小题5】 If you're buying a mattress (床垫)， online reviews can't tell you if it will be comfortable for you. You still need to go into the store and lie on it.

Gorgeous Mother’s Day Gift

If you’re stuck for a Mother’s Day gift, why not try something that tugs at the heartstrings? A company that specialises in turning life stories into long-lasting books has developed a simple way to show your mother or grandmother how much they mean to you.

The company has created a full-colour book that captures all your family memories. And it’s a gift that can be enjoyed over and over again by future generations. The company sends you a set of questions by email, and these help you make a personalised book that’s unique to your parent or grandparent

This hardbound (精装的) book is a bargain compared to a private autobiography, which can cost thousands of pounds and take ages to finish.

The company was started by two siblings. After their dad died young and they saw their grandma struggle with Alzheimer’s, they wanted to find a way to save life stories before it was too late. When you buy a photo book, the company will give some money to the Alzheimer’s Society charity. They help you make the book and keep your stories safe until it’s printed.

The photo book costs £149, but you can pay £50 more to get an extra copy for your family and friends. If the person who gets the book doesn’t like it, they can get their money back in 30 days.

As a cheaper alternative, you could get an £11. 99 scrapbook from the Internet and put your own pictures in it to save money. The company also sells different kinds of photo books, like the Mini Hardback Photo Book which is now only £20. 80, down from £26.