In every town there are dozens of shops, and going shopping is one of the most important of the housewife's duties. An Englishwoman, as a rule, deals with only one grocer, one butcher, one milkman and one baker. She may as well phone the butcher and the grocer early in the morning and order what she wants. Then she doesn't go to the shops herself. She does not pay each day but receives a bill each week. At the end of a week, on Saturday, there are several bills to pay.
Sometimes a person sees something advertised in a newspaper or on television that he would like. He may write for it and ask to send it C.O.D. (cash on delivery). When the article arrives, he pays the postman. If the person has a banking account he generally pays by cheque.
Going shopping is a pleasant experience for those who are well-off and can buy whatever they want. It is not so pleasant for a poorer person, who may have to leave the shop without many of the things he would like to buy. In big shops the customer does not pay the salesman or saleswoman (shop assistant), but takes the bill to the cash-desk and pays the cashier. In some shops there is a special department where they wrap up the purchases and hand them over the customers. Some big shops have a home-delivery service.
There is a tendency in England and America for small shops to disappear. They are eaten up by the big firms, who have branches all over the country. Many English people regret the disappearance of small shops.
But big shops are very useful to the public. They have a large variety of goods and sell at reasonable prices.