Unit 1. 2. Shopping. Clothing and Fashion

UNIT 1.2. SHOPPING. CLOTHING AND FASHION

READING

1. Work in pairs. Discuss these questions.

Can you describe how shopping has changed in recent years?

Have you heard of the “Retail Apocalypse” in the USA? What are the reasons for it?

What influences your purchase decisions?

2. Read the article and answer the questions below.

 

GEN Z IS LEADING AN EVOLUTION IN SHOPPING

THAT COULD KILL BRANDS AS WE KNOW THEM

By Mary Hanbury

Business Insider

    Generation Z’s approach to brands is part of what sets it apart from previous generations.

    When deciding where to shop, their primary motivator is price, according to a Business Insider survey of more than 1,800 Gen Zers.

    Since they frequently document their life on social media, they feel a pressure to always have new clothes. That is fueling growth in unconventional forms of shopping, like rental and resale.

    Being unique – and balancing that with saving money – is a defining trait of this generation.

 

Amanda Chernin, age 20, from Delray Beach, Florida, says she shops online almost every day.

She is not loyal to any one brand or store. Instead, she shops wherever is most affordable. She rarely goes to a physical store to try clothes on, and if she ends up not liking a piece she buys, she resells it online.

"Older generations grew up without this technology and being able to shop online," she said. "I literally order something online every day."

While Chernin's approach to shopping might still be alien to some consumers, she is an example of a Generation Z consumer. She is part of the first truly digital generation, which has grown up cradling a smartphone and has never known a time without the internet and social media.

For the past decade, brands have scrambled to serve millennials, the first internet-obsessed generation that's been blamed for killing dozens of industries and forcing retailers to rethink their online-selling strategies.

Now, brands are bracing themselves for the next wave of shoppers, between the ages of 13 and 21, who are gearing up to enter the workforce and become a formidable force in the economy.

Experts say that Gen Z will not be an extension of the previous generation and should not be thought of as millennials 2.0, but instead as a distinct set of people with unique experiences, beliefs, and behaviors. This generation, they say, will fuel a massive change in how people shop.

Gen Z is thrifty above all, experts say.

"They are very fiscally pragmatic and practical with their money. They are looking for value," Jason Dorsey, a Gen Z consultant and researcher who delivered a TEDx Talk about this generation, told Business Insider.

Dorsey said that value can be achieved in two ways: by shopping for clothing from brands that already have low prices, or by buying more expensive things that last longer.

"I can't afford nicer brands of clothes," Chernin said. "I like to save and would rather have money in the bank than be broke."

Tanner Frick, 21, majors in business at the University of Sioux Falls, in South Dakota. He's a self-described "brand freak" and says he shops at Nike, Lululemon, and Patagonia. "I trust them more," he said, referring to these brands and the warranties they offer.

Patagonia, for example, has an unlimited returns policy on unworn items and offers a repair service for worn clothing.

"In the end it's worth it," he said, referring to Patagonia's relatively high prices. The outdoors retailer sells men's vests that range from $80 to $200 and jackets that cost up to $280.

For others, low prices are more important. This was evident in Business Insider's recent survey of 1,884 Americans between the ages of 13 and 21. This national poll was conducted with SurveyMonkey Audience partner Cint on behalf of Business Insider and ran January 11-14.

When asked what was the biggest factor when deciding whether to purchase items from a particular brand, 60% of respondents said price.

"They don't want to pay full price for anything," Dorsey said, adding that these spending habits were likely passed down to Gen Z by their parents and teachers, who were shaped by the recession.

The median-age Gen Z shopper, currently 17, would have been 6 when the financial crisis began, in 2008. While they were not in the workforce yet, they were old enough to remember it and see how their parents and older friends struggled, Dorsey said.

An obsession with price instantly makes them less loyal to brands.

"There really isn’t loyalty like in the past," Marcie Merriman, the executive director for growth strategy and retail innovations at Ernst & Young, told Business Insider.

They "are highly informed and want to take charge of their lives and their futures," Merriman wrote in a recent EY report about Gen Z. "Getting these consumers to be loyal to your brick-and-mortar will be more challenging than ever."

Taryn Merari, 19, a design major at New York's School of Visual Arts, told Business Insider that she rarely shops by brand. She is almost always led by price.

She shops, she said, by the mantra "'What clothes do I need?'"

"If I need leggings, I look for leggings by color or by texture." This way she can get the best deal and the best quality.

 

Questions

1. Why is Generation Z’s approach to brands different from previous generations?

2. What is the primary motivator for Generation Z when they decide where to shop?

3. Do they want to always have new clothes? Why?

4. Why aren’t representatives of Generation Z usually loyal to any one brand or store?

5. Why is Generation Z said to be thrifty above all?

6. How can Generation Z’s approach to shopping change brands in general and their online-selling strategies in particular?

7. Do you agree with Taryn Merari that if you shop by the mantra “What clothes do I need?”, you can get the best deal and the best quality?

8. What are your personal purchase habits and preferences? Do you usually buy online or in store?

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases from the text. Use a dictionary. Give their Russian equivalents.

Brand, rental, resale, to be loyal to any brand/store, affordable, to go to a physical store to try clothes on, to end up not liking sth, to resell, to shop online, consumer, retailer, shopper, thrifty, value, to afford sth, to be broke, warranty, returns policy, a repair service, retailer, to pay full price for sth, brick-and-mortar, the best deal, the best quality.

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct word or phrase.

1. Americans buy things that they cannot _______ all of the time

2. Indeed, online mass marketplaces like Amazon were the most common way ___________ shopped online.

3. A significant portion of shoppers go for _________ options, such as auction sites like eBay, deal sites like Groupon, or social media marketplaces.

4. It’s not just being able _________ new clothes or groceries with the click of a mouse – online __________are able to provide excellent service with perks like free __________and try-before-you-buy options.

5. No longer are consumers restricted to ___________ stores, they can shop __________ and find everything more conveniently.

6. BIG stores are ripping off shoppers by selling unnecessary extended ____________.

7. Don't tell me, Lemon, you spent $500 on a tie I already have at a store with a ___________.

8. I run the numbers on how to get __________ every time I shoe shop.

9. We're interested in these wicker chairs, but we're totally unwilling to pay ________ for them.

10. Clothing __________ are an economical and environmentally friendly way to stay on trend, with the convenience of getting the latest looks delivered right to your doorstep.

3. Explain the difference between…Give examples of sentences with these words.

1. thrifty/frugal and extravagant

2. a physical store and online store/ brick-and mortar and clicks-and-mortar business

3. retailer and brand

4. value and price

4. There are some brands mentioned in the text. Can you name any other famous brands? Some examples of American clothing brands are given below. Do you know how to pronounce them correctly? Search the internet and check.

Nike

Levi Strauss & Co or Levi's

Calvin Klein

Tommy Hilfiger

Polo Ralph Lauren

Victoria's Secret

Gap

Old Navy

LISTENING COMPREHENSION 1

1. Listen to the dialogue between a customer (C) and a shop assistant (SA). Put down the words of the latter:

SA - …

C - Oh, hello, good morning!

SA - …

C - Yes, you can. Actually I am looking for a present for my brother.

SA - …

C - Yes.

SA - …

C - No, not a T-shirt, no.

SA - …

C - Oh, yes, actually that’s lovely. I like that.

SA - …

C - He takes a small.

SA - …

C - Oh, great! That’s lovely. I’ll take that one.

SA - …

C - Is there a discount?

SA - …

C -Fantastic! I’ll take it.

SA - …

C Thank you

At the counter

SA - …

C - No, thank you I would like to do it myself.

SA - …

C - Forty euros, one moment …Here’s fifty.

SA - …

C - Thank you very much.

SA - …

C - Thank you. Bye-bye.

SA - …

C - …

SA - …

2. Learn the dialogue and role play it with your partner. You may slightly change it by introducing your own items you shop for, special offers available for the customer, etc.

3. Find mini-dialogues that demonstrate regular conversations between a customer and a shop assistant. You may find them in TV series, movies, blogs, etc. Present them to the class, put down useful expressions.

PRE- LISTENING TASKS

Answer the questions.

Why shopping is so addictive?

Do you like watching shopping haul or unboxing videos? Why?

What do you know about consumerism?

LISTENING TASK

POST-LISTENING TASK

Make up a speech describing consumer behavior in Russia.

Pre-listening.

Listening task

After listening

Make up 5 sentences with expressions from the text in Russian for the group to translate (use grammar topic you study at the moment)

LISTENING COMPREHESION 4

Pre-listening tasks

1. People who gain pleasure and escape negative feelings through shopping sometimes call it ‘retail therapy’. What do you think this phrase implies?

2. While the term ‘retail therapy’ is often used in a tongue-in-cheek manner, some people, including shopaholics, actively make time to shop as a way to cope with negative feelings. Are you one of those?

3. Many of us indulge in a bit of retail therapy now and then, but when shopping becomes a compulsion, the consequences can be painful and heartbreaking. Do you agree with this?

4. Look at the shopping addiction quiz ( www.healthyplace.com ) that includes six statements. If you answered "yes" to most of these questions, it's likely you have a compulsive shopping problem.

My closet has unopened shopping bags in it.

Others might consider me a "shopaholic."

Much of my life centers around buying things.

I buy things I don’t need.

I buy things I did not plan to buy.

I consider myself an impulse purchaser.

•     Listening tasks

1. Listen to Jenna Bush Hager for Today Show on how compulsive shopping becomes a painful obsession. Define the statements as true or false according to the piece.

a. Debbie Ruth is a recovered shopaholic whose impulse to buy had taken over her life.

b. Compulsive shopping helps Debbie to get rid of her problems.

c. Compulsive shoppers should have a break between impulse and making a purchase and ask themselves some questions.

d. Debbie’s life got happier when she realized she had a problem and took action.

e. Debbie is still very engrossed in the shopping.

2. Match the phrases used in the episode with their explanations.

a. compulsive shopping	1. done with too much acting, emotion or effort
b. no laughing matter	2. shopping that is difficult to stop or control
c. shopping spree	3. something serious that you should not joke about
d. stop cold-turkey	4. be very careful to notice any signs of danger or trouble
e. over the top	5. stop taking a drug in a sudden way that produces an unpleasant state
f. be vigilant	6. give a feeling of satisfaction that you get from doing or achieving sth
g. give fulfillment	7. a way of solving a problem that is easy but temporary or inadequate
h. quick fix	8. shopping excessively, buying a lot of things in an extravagant way

3. Listen again and answer the questions.

1. What image does usually come to mind when we hear the word ‘shopaholic’ according to Jenna?

2. When did Debbie’s problem of compulsive buying begin?

3. What was the breaking point for Debbie?

4. What six questions should compulsive shoppers ask themselves before making a purchase?

5. What helped Debbie see her problem and confront her behavior?

6. Why did she start her blog and what kind of information does she share on it?

•      Post-listening tasks

1. Have you ever indulged in a little binge-spending made possible by ‘buy now pay later’ schemes?

2. What questions, if any at all, do you usually ask yourself before buying clothes?

3. Females are nine times more likely to be affected by compulsive shopping disorder. Why?

4. Shopping may be a beloved American pastime, but compulsive shopping is a real problem for millions of people who really do shop till they drop. Is this a big problem in your country?

5. It is common knowledge that you should not shop for food when you are hungry, and you should not shop for anything else when you have an emotional void that needs to be filled. Do you know any other tips that can help shop wisely?

Watching section

a)

Prewatching tasks

 1. Identify these statements as true or false. See if you were right after watching the video:

1. Throughout her lifetime an average woman spends half of a year deciding what to wear.

2. A simple T-shirt from crop to shop takes 2700 liters of water or 34 bath tubs.

3. Fashion industry is the first largest in terms of its economic intensity of trade, it is worth 3 trillion dollars, it employs 57 million workers from around the world and in developing countries 70 % of them are women.

4. Clothes may diagnose diseases like cancer.

5. Clothes may purify air.

6. Clothes may teach people how to fly.

2. Watch and listen to the lecture “Don’t Tell me Fashion is Frivolous” by professor Frances Corner, the Head of London College of Fashion. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjLBbWbBTPc]. As you listen, find equivalents to the following words and expressions:

1. наряд

2. быть (не) слишком нарядно одетым

3. производить ткань

4. выращивать лен, коноплю

5. работник швейной промышленности

6. выгодная покупка/сделка

7. последствия, результат

8. быть по фигуре

9. волокна

 

2.1 Frances Corner pays special attention to alternative usage of clothes other than just hide people’s nakedness. Recollect all the examples she provides. Make your own research and find interesting information about modern technologies employed to meet the needs of modern consumers.

2.1.1 Provide consecutive interpretation of the article “Clothes with electronics” from the book by Harriet Worsley “100 Ideas that Changed Fashion”.

b)

Prewatching tasks

 1.1 Look at these pictures. What do you see? What kind of messages do they render? Brainstorm the issue and provide all possible interpretations working in the groups of two:

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

1.2 Describe the phenomenon of consumerism by filling the following chart providing associations that you have with this notion:

 

 

2. Watch the video “The High Price of Materialism” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=D9gcGjCF60o&feature=emb_logo). As you listen, find equivalents to the following words and expressions and answer the questions:

1. постоянный повтор

2. коммерческий призыв, маркетинговый ход

3. желание обладать материальными ценностями

4. общество потребителей

5. ценности, приносящие благо обществу

6. быть под воздействием идей материализма

7. ставить деньги, имидж и статус в приоритет

8. экологически устойчивый мир

9. повысить самооценку

10. рекламный ролик

11. продвижение истинных ценностей

12. оценивать благополучие граждан

13. чувство принадлежности своему сообществу

2.1 Comprehension questions:

1. How do people receive materialistic messages? What are the reasons of this mass attack?

2. What kind of connection did scientists find between materialistic values and pro-social values? Are there any other alike tendencies related to consumerism?

3. Is it possible to stand against commercialism? What can you do to diminish consumer messages?

2.2 Write your own definition of consumerism using the information from the video and your background knowledge. Share your ideas with the class.

 

UNIT 1.2. SHOPPING. CLOTHING AND FASHION

READING

1. Work in pairs. Discuss these questions.

Can you describe how shopping has changed in recent years?

Have you heard of the “Retail Apocalypse” in the USA? What are the reasons for it?

What influences your purchase decisions?

2. Read the article and answer the questions below.

 

GEN Z IS LEADING AN EVOLUTION IN SHOPPING

THAT COULD KILL BRANDS AS WE KNOW THEM

By Mary Hanbury

Business Insider

    Generation Z’s approach to brands is part of what sets it apart from previous generations.

    When deciding where to shop, their primary motivator is price, according to a Business Insider survey of more than 1,800 Gen Zers.

    Since they frequently document their life on social media, they feel a pressure to always have new clothes. That is fueling growth in unconventional forms of shopping, like rental and resale.

    Being unique – and balancing that with saving money – is a defining trait of this generation.

 

Amanda Chernin, age 20, from Delray Beach, Florida, says she shops online almost every day.

She is not loyal to any one brand or store. Instead, she shops wherever is most affordable. She rarely goes to a physical store to try clothes on, and if she ends up not liking a piece she buys, she resells it online.

"Older generations grew up without this technology and being able to shop online," she said. "I literally order something online every day."

While Chernin's approach to shopping might still be alien to some consumers, she is an example of a Generation Z consumer. She is part of the first truly digital generation, which has grown up cradling a smartphone and has never known a time without the internet and social media.

For the past decade, brands have scrambled to serve millennials, the first internet-obsessed generation that's been blamed for killing dozens of industries and forcing retailers to rethink their online-selling strategies.

Now, brands are bracing themselves for the next wave of shoppers, between the ages of 13 and 21, who are gearing up to enter the workforce and become a formidable force in the economy.

Experts say that Gen Z will not be an extension of the previous generation and should not be thought of as millennials 2.0, but instead as a distinct set of people with unique experiences, beliefs, and behaviors. This generation, they say, will fuel a massive change in how people shop.

Gen Z is thrifty above all, experts say.

"They are very fiscally pragmatic and practical with their money. They are looking for value," Jason Dorsey, a Gen Z consultant and researcher who delivered a TEDx Talk about this generation, told Business Insider.

Dorsey said that value can be achieved in two ways: by shopping for clothing from brands that already have low prices, or by buying more expensive things that last longer.

"I can't afford nicer brands of clothes," Chernin said. "I like to save and would rather have money in the bank than be broke."

Tanner Frick, 21, majors in business at the University of Sioux Falls, in South Dakota. He's a self-described "brand freak" and says he shops at Nike, Lululemon, and Patagonia. "I trust them more," he said, referring to these brands and the warranties they offer.

Patagonia, for example, has an unlimited returns policy on unworn items and offers a repair service for worn clothing.

"In the end it's worth it," he said, referring to Patagonia's relatively high prices. The outdoors retailer sells men's vests that range from $80 to $200 and jackets that cost up to $280.

For others, low prices are more important. This was evident in Business Insider's recent survey of 1,884 Americans between the ages of 13 and 21. This national poll was conducted with SurveyMonkey Audience partner Cint on behalf of Business Insider and ran January 11-14.

When asked what was the biggest factor when deciding whether to purchase items from a particular brand, 60% of respondents said price.

"They don't want to pay full price for anything," Dorsey said, adding that these spending habits were likely passed down to Gen Z by their parents and teachers, who were shaped by the recession.

The median-age Gen Z shopper, currently 17, would have been 6 when the financial crisis began, in 2008. While they were not in the workforce yet, they were old enough to remember it and see how their parents and older friends struggled, Dorsey said.

An obsession with price instantly makes them less loyal to brands.

"There really isn’t loyalty like in the past," Marcie Merriman, the executive director for growth strategy and retail innovations at Ernst & Young, told Business Insider.

They "are highly informed and want to take charge of their lives and their futures," Merriman wrote in a recent EY report about Gen Z. "Getting these consumers to be loyal to your brick-and-mortar will be more challenging than ever."

Taryn Merari, 19, a design major at New York's School of Visual Arts, told Business Insider that she rarely shops by brand. She is almost always led by price.

She shops, she said, by the mantra "'What clothes do I need?'"

"If I need leggings, I look for leggings by color or by texture." This way she can get the best deal and the best quality.

 

Questions

1. Why is Generation Z’s approach to brands different from previous generations?

2. What is the primary motivator for Generation Z when they decide where to shop?

3. Do they want to always have new clothes? Why?

4. Why aren’t representatives of Generation Z usually loyal to any one brand or store?

5. Why is Generation Z said to be thrifty above all?

6. How can Generation Z’s approach to shopping change brands in general and their online-selling strategies in particular?

7. Do you agree with Taryn Merari that if you shop by the mantra “What clothes do I need?”, you can get the best deal and the best quality?

8. What are your personal purchase habits and preferences? Do you usually buy online or in store?

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases from the text. Use a dictionary. Give their Russian equivalents.

Brand, rental, resale, to be loyal to any brand/store, affordable, to go to a physical store to try clothes on, to end up not liking sth, to resell, to shop online, consumer, retailer, shopper, thrifty, value, to afford sth, to be broke, warranty, returns policy, a repair service, retailer, to pay full price for sth, brick-and-mortar, the best deal, the best quality.

2. Fill in the blanks with the correct word or phrase.

1. Americans buy things that they cannot _______ all of the time

2. Indeed, online mass marketplaces like Amazon were the most common way ___________ shopped online.

3. A significant portion of shoppers go for _________ options, such as auction sites like eBay, deal sites like Groupon, or social media marketplaces.

4. It’s not just being able _________ new clothes or groceries with the click of a mouse – online __________are able to provide excellent service with perks like free __________and try-before-you-buy options.

5. No longer are consumers restricted to ___________ stores, they can shop __________ and find everything more conveniently.

6. BIG stores are ripping off shoppers by selling unnecessary extended ____________.

7. Don't tell me, Lemon, you spent $500 on a tie I already have at a store with a ___________.

8. I run the numbers on how to get __________ every time I shoe shop.

9. We're interested in these wicker chairs, but we're totally unwilling to pay ________ for them.

10. Clothing __________ are an economical and environmentally friendly way to stay on trend, with the convenience of getting the latest looks delivered right to your doorstep.

3. Explain the difference between…Give examples of sentences with these words.

1. thrifty/frugal and extravagant

2. a physical store and online store/ brick-and mortar and clicks-and-mortar business

3. retailer and brand

4. value and price

4. There are some brands mentioned in the text. Can you name any other famous brands? Some examples of American clothing brands are given below. Do you know how to pronounce them correctly? Search the internet and check.

Nike

Levi Strauss & Co or Levi's

Calvin Klein

Tommy Hilfiger

Polo Ralph Lauren

Victoria's Secret

Gap

Old Navy

LISTENING COMPREHENSION 1

1. Listen to the dialogue between a customer (C) and a shop assistant (SA). Put down the words of the latter:

SA - …

C - Oh, hello, good morning!

SA - …

C - Yes, you can. Actually I am looking for a present for my brother.

SA - …

C - Yes.

SA - …

C - No, not a T-shirt, no.

SA - …

C - Oh, yes, actually that’s lovely. I like that.

SA - …

C - He takes a small.

SA - …

C - Oh, great! That’s lovely. I’ll take that one.

SA - …

C - Is there a discount?

SA - …

C -Fantastic! I’ll take it.

SA - …

C Thank you

At the counter

SA - …

C - No, thank you I would like to do it myself.

SA - …

C - Forty euros, one moment …Here’s fifty.

SA - …

C - Thank you very much.

SA - …

C - Thank you. Bye-bye.

SA - …

C - …

SA - …

2. Learn the dialogue and role play it with your partner. You may slightly change it by introducing your own items you shop for, special offers available for the customer, etc.

3. Find mini-dialogues that demonstrate regular conversations between a customer and a shop assistant. You may find them in TV series, movies, blogs, etc. Present them to the class, put down useful expressions.