English Fluency Now Podcast www.englishfluencynow.com

English Fluency Now Episode #11 - “ Shopping”

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, and welcome to English Fluency Now Podcast Episode #11!

My name is Lisa Biskup and this is the English Fluency Now podcast, a podcast which will help you improve your English by listening to authentic English spoken by American English speakers. The podcast covers topics related to everyday life, business, education, and a variety of other interesting topics.

In order to use the podcast as a learning tool, I invite you to visit the website, www.englishfluencynow.com to purchase and download the podcast Lesson Guide. Each Lesson Guide costs $1.00 and is about 10 to 12 pages long.

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So, let’s begin!

Today I want to talk about Black Friday. Black Friday is the name given to the day after , which is always a Friday, since Thanksgiving Day is always on the fourth Thursday in . Black Friday is typically known as the day that the shopping season starts. On this day, most major retail stores open very early in the morning and often times people are lined up outside the stores before the doors even open. They line up so early because these retail stores offer extreme sales, sometimes up to 40% or even 50% off some items, and usually at least 20% off most things in the store. It has, therefore, become the busiest shopping day of the entire year.

Black Friday as a term has been used in various contexts, since the nineteenth century, where it was associated with a financial crisis in 1869 in the United States. The earliest known reference to "Black Friday" to refer to shopping on the day after Thanksgiving was made in a public relations newsletter from 1961 that spells out the negative implications of the name and shows how it came from Philadelphia. Here is an excerpt from that newsletter: “For downtown merchants throughout the nation, the biggest shopping days normally are the two following Thanksgiving Day. Resulting traffic jams are an irksome problem to the police and, in Philadelphia, it became customary for officers to refer to the post-Thanksgiving days as Black Friday and Black Saturday. Hardly a stimulus for good business, the problem was discussed by the merchants with their Deputy City Representative, Abe S. Rosen, one of the country's most experienced municipal Public Relations executives. He recommended adoption of a positive approach which would convert Black Friday and Black Saturday to Big Friday and Big Saturday.” -- Excerpt taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping) 1 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.

The attempts to rename Black Friday have not been successful, and so most retailers now use it as a marketing term and promote their sales for Black Friday many days and even weeks before Thanksgiving. In fact, whereas stores used to open early on Friday morning, like at 6:00 AM in the morning, some stores open even earlier these days.

Black Friday is an important day for many retail businesses, most of which make most of their money during the holiday season, which starts on Black Friday and goes until Christmas, and then a little after Christmas with additional sales. For that reason, most businesses offer extreme deals to get customers in the doors and buying as much as possible.

One year, I took my children to a large retail store named J.C. Penney to purchase some pants for one of my sons. There was traffic everywhere, and when we walked into the store, we were amazed that in the clothing section there were clothes everywhere that had fallen on the floor in the shopping frenzy that had happened earlier in the day. My kids were quite shocked. They hadnʼt realized that so many people went shopping on this one day.

Sometimes, when you go to a store there are people rushing to grab the items they want before they sell out. It can actually be rather dangerous, as sometimes people can get pretty rude.

In fact, there are reports that in 2008 a crowd of approximately 2,000 shoppers in Valley Stream, New York waited outside for the 5:00 AM opening of the local Wal-Mart. As opening time approached the crowd grew anxious and when the doors were opened the crowd pushed forward, breaking the door down, and trampling a 34-year old employee to death. The shoppers did not appear concerned with the victim's fate, expressing refusal to halt their stampede when other employees attempted to intervene and help the injured employee, complaining that they had been waiting in the cold and were not willing to wait any longer. Shoppers had begun assembling as early as 9:00 PM the evening before. Even when police arrived and attempted to aid to the injured man, shoppers continued to pour in, shoving and pushing the officers as they made their way into the store. Several other people incurred minor injuries, including a pregnant woman who had to be taken to the hospital. (Taken from the same wiki page as above.)

Itʼs hard to believe, but it is true that some people do get pretty crazy trying to take advantage of the Black Friday sales.

There are some people in the United States and in other countries that find the shopping that takes place on Black Friday unnecessary and ironic, as it comes a day after being thankful for what we have and spending time with family and friends. These people have begun their own campaign which is known as the or the anti Black Friday Day.

The Buy Nothing Day campaign is actually an international day of protest against consumerism, which is celebrated annually just after Thanksgiving. The goal of the Buy Nothing Day is to get consumers to have a 24-hour moratorium on all their spending.

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Despite its continual growth over the years, Buy Nothing Day participants are still minor compared to those shopping on Black Friday. With over 147 million people expected to participate in Black Friday shopping this year, the anti Black Friday still has a long way to go to convince the masses of their message.

Another movement that has grown out of the Black Friday shopping phenomenon is the the Saturday events. Since Black Friday originated in the sales promotions of the large retail stores across the U.S., stores which mostly carry imported goods from places like China, small retailers couldn’t really compete with these enormous sales.

So in recent years, small local businesses have begun to have their own sales promotions to encourage consumers to shop locally on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The idea is to support local farmers, artisans, eateries, toy stores, clothing stores and all the other types of small businesses that are owned and operated by individuals that live within the community, and that often carry goods that are made locally. I live in a small town and most of the small businesses are happy to have the community support that comes when people shop locally.

Interestingly, , the company, has jumped on the bandwagon to support Small Business Saturday and offers their members to enroll in a program that allows the member to get $25 back, one time, when a member spends $25 or more at a qualifying small business location on November 24th. This is a bit ironic, actually, since many small businesses don’t often take American Express credit cards because American Express charges a higher percentage rate of each sale to the business when a customer uses an American Express credit card. Most small businesses prefer to only accept VISA, Mastercard and Discover cards, which don’t charge as high of percentage rates to the retailers. This is especially true for businesses which have low-priced goods, like when a sale is only between $5 and $10. I imagine this is a way to get small businesses to accept American Express credit cards. What do you think?

And lastly, now we not only have Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, we have , as well. Cyber Monday is a marketing term used to try to persuade people to shop online. Online shopping has been on the rise over the past few years in general, but Cyber Monday is actually proving to be a successful promotion for online retailers. According to the website comScore.com, in 2010 consumers reportedly spent over $1 billion online on Cyber Monday, making it the highest spending day of 2010.

Because retail stores depend on sales, and most sales happen during this short time period of the year known as the holiday season, large corporations as well as small businesses and online retailers do their best to draw customers in to shop. If you Google Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you will find all kinds of links to websites that give you information on the deals you can get during these sales. In fact, the website www.blackfriday.com has a countdown clock and links to many of the major stores that are offering special deals, such as Amazon.com, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and more.

3 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.

However, while you may be able to get some good deals and get most or all of your Christmas shopping done on this one day or this one weekend, many people stay as far away as they can from the shopping centers. They prefer to spend their holiday weekend relaxing at home, watching movies, going skiing, taking hikes, reading a good book, eating leftovers, watching football games or just visiting with family and friends.

If you are ever in the United States on Black Friday, it might be fun to go to a large shopping area and observe the shopping madness. I have done it a few times in my life and it can be fun, but it can also be frustrating and tiring. Just imagine: the traffic, the people, the long lines and all that waiting. Not to mention that you have to do the actual shopping, and like I said, sometimes it can get really messy in those stores with that many people going through racks of clothing and such.

Personally, I will be working at my cafe on Friday, and I do expect to be busy, and that is certainly good for business. Being a small business owner, I appreciate the people who do come out to shop during this holiday weekend, because winter is typically a slower time for businesses in general, so it helps to keep us going.

Now I am going to talk to Nicole about her experience with Black Friday. Let’s see what she thinks about it all.

Lisa: Hi, Nicole. Nicole: Hi, Lisa. Lisa: So, I was just telling the listeners about Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, and also Buy Nothing Day. So, I just wanted to ask you, have you ever gone shopping on Black Friday? Nicole: I actually have not gone shopping on Black Friday. Lisa: Any particular reason why not? Nicole: Um, I’ve heard that Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and the thought of going to stores, where it’s probably hard to find parking and there’s (should be there are - common mistake by English speakers when speaking) many, many people grabbing at stuff, doesn’t sound...It actually sounds overwhelming to me. It doesn’t sound like that much fun. Lisa: So then, will you be participating in Buy Nothing Day? Nicole: I often participate in Buy Nothing Day; that’s one of my favorite days. Lisa: Okay, what about Small Business Saturday? Nicole: I often shop in small businesses and on Saturday, if I’m ready with my Christmas list, then I certainly will go shopping on Saturday, perhaps. Lisa: Okay, and we were also talking about Cyber Monday, which is kind of new with internet online stores and stuff, so I am wondering...Do you have anything planned that you want to get online on Cyber Monday? Nicole: I actually didn’t know about that, but if there are sales on Cyber Monday, then there are some items that I do need for Christmas, and maybe I will check that out. Lisa: Okay, well, good to know. Thanks. Nicole: Thank you.

4 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.

Well, that’s all for today.

Thank you for listening to the English Fluency Now podcast. I hope you have enjoyed it and that you will use it to help you improve your English. If the podcast was a bit difficult for you to understand, I invite you to go to our website and purchase the Lesson Guide for Episode #11. In the Lesson Guide, you will get a full written transcript of this episode, as well as a list of vocabulary words used in sentences, additional exercises that will help deepen your understanding of the content and give you the ability to interact with it, as well as links to websites and videos related to today’s topic.

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5 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.

VOCABULARY WORDS (v=verb, n=noun, adj=adjective, adv=adverb) Some words are both verbs and nouns, etc. I am only providing one example of the use of each word. For more examples, look at an online dictionary or in a good old-fashioned dictionary. typically (adv): that which is usual or which usually happens How long does a dishwasher typically last? Oh, I think about 10 years is a typical life-time for a dishwasher. major (adj): of importance; of or pertaining to the majority; the largest part You only need to study the major events of the last 50 years in order to pass your history test this Friday. retail (adj): selling to the public, to consumers or customers The retail sales report captures in-store sales as well as catalog and other out-of-store sales. extreme (adj): the greatest amount, farthest from ordinary or normal The extreme weather of the last two months has caused over $100 million in damages. associate (v): to make a link with; to connect Researchers have found that exposure to traffic-related air pollution during pregnancy is associated with autism, according to a new study released on Monday. refer (v): to direct attention or thoughts; to speak about something or somebody Governor Romney says he wasn't referring to Arizona as a model for the nation. merchants (n): people who own shops and sell to the public Local merchants were pleasantly surprised to see so many people shopping in their stores this weekend. stimulus (n): something that gets someone into action; motivation The Federal Reserve launched a massive “stimulus” campaign—costly bail-outs and mortgage purchases, near zero interest rates, and two rounds of “quantitative easing.” to be amazed (adj): surprised, astonished, filled with wonder I was amazed to see how much he had improved in such a short period of time. frenzy (n): wild excitement; madness; craziness Fueled by a frenzy of ticket-buying, the jackpot in Wednesday's Powerball lottery has been increased to $500 million. to be shocked (adj): to be surprised; to cause a disturbance; astounded He was shocked to find out that he had won the lottery. He couldnʼt believe he was going to receive $500 million. Wow!

6 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com. rude (adj): impolite; not nice; rough in manners or behavior The teacher found the new student to be rude and demanding; she was afraid that he wouldnʼt be able to make new friends if he didnʼt change his attitude. approach (v): to come near or nearer; to present or make a proposal; make advances She approached him with a new proposal that she believed was better than the previous one. refusal (n): the act of refusing; not doing something Rosa Parks' refusal to leave her seat sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and is considered the beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement. stampede (n): a sudden and frenzied rush of a herd of animals or people Soccer fans rushed the field after a game in Egypt Wednesday, setting off clashes and a stampede that left at least 73 people dead and 1000 injured. intervene (v): to come between two people who are fighting; to intercede; to get in the middle; to interfere The people did not like it when the military tried to intervene in their peaceful gathering. ironic (adj): containing irony; contradictory; unexpected Isnʼt it ironic that she is a vegan but wears a fur coat? consumerism (n): the practice of buying stuff or consuming goods Why is consumerism – and particularly, an online hunt for the ideal purchase – so addictive? moratorium (n): to put a stop to something for a certain time period The governor called for a moratorium on all executions for the remainder of the year. phenomenon (n): an experience; something that is impressive or extraordinary An unusual optical phenomenon may explain why the Titanic struck an iceberg and received no assistance from a nearby ship, according to new research by a British historian. promotion (n): a campaign to sell goods; the act of promoting something; advertisement The marketing team has created four very successful promotions this year. Sales have increased 30% in the last 6 weeks alone. persuade (v): to convince someone to do something or to believe something She was going to try to persuade her sister to go with her to Hawaii for three weeks. depend on (v): to rely on; to put your trust in Some women donʼt like to depend on a man to support them. appreciate (v): to be grateful or thankful; to value or regard highly She really appreciates it when people compliment her cooking.

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS - Did you understand what you read/heard?

1. When is Black Friday? a. every Friday b. Friday before Christmas c. Friday after Thanksgiving d. the first Friday of December

2. What is Buy Nothing Day? a. a protest against consumerism b. a day off from spending money c. an anti Black Friday day d. all of the above

3. Why does American Express support Small Business Saturday? ! a. because they are so nice b. because it is good for their business c. because they love small businesses d. because they hate VISA

4.What day would be the best day to buy a new winter coat online (if you want to save money)? a. Black Friday b. Small Business Saturday c. Cyber Monday d. Thanksgiving

EXPANSION QUESTIONS - This is your turn to interact with the content and use English in a real way.

1. If you lived in the U.S., would you go shopping on Black Friday?

2. If you lived in the U.S., would you participate in Buy Nothing Day?

3. Have you ever shopped online on Cyber Monday?

4. Do you like to buy things from your local businesses?

8 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION

Buy Nothing Day

What is Buy Nothing Day? A: Buy Nothing Day is your special day to unshop, unspend and unwind. Relax and do nothing for the economy and for yourself - at least for a single day. It's a reminder to stop and think about why you're spending. It seems like a simple enough challenge to try to go one day without spending, but in many parts of the world it would be virtually impossible if you consider your monthly bills that accrue on a daily basis as part of "buying".

Who started Buy Nothing Day? The common understanding is that the first Buy Nothing Day was arranged by artist Ted Dave. Following its start the greatest promoter of the day has been Adbusters magazine.

Why should we buy nothing? When it comes right down to it, it's not that we believe a single day without shopping makes a big enough impact in itself. But if we stop and think about it for a day, we might find out that we're more deeply tangled in the dragnet of consumerism than we imagined. This knowledge could be life- changing. If we dissect our spending habits, we'll see how we have a significant local effect. But we are part of the big picture as well, and if we take a stand others will as well, and we can see that impact on a global scale. If we buy nothing for just one day, perhaps we'll realize the true value of watching HOW we spend.

Who is Buy Nothing Day? Buy Nothing Day is a day, not a person.

When is Buy Nothing Day? As far as we're concerned, Buy Nothing Day can be any day you want it to be. But if you want to be coordinated in your efforts check to see when the folks in your country are doing it.

What could I possibly hope to accomplish by participating? At the very least, you'll save a bit of your hard-earned cash! You'll also avoid some of the dangers of shopping at this time of year. If this is a difficult challenge for you, you'll have a feeling of accomplishment and self-worth. But you'll be saving time as well.

Happy non-buying means less unhappy returns!

Taken from the website: http://www.buynothingday.org

9 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.

ANSWERS

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. c 2. d 3. b 4. c

EXPANSION QUESTIONS (possible answers - yours may vary) - If you want to improve your English writing, I can work with you via email. See www.englishfluencynow.com

1. If you lived in the U.S., would you go shopping on Black Friday?

Yes, because I think it is a great idea to save money on things you want to buy anyway.

No, because I canʼt stand shopping and it sounds horrible to be surrounded by all those crazy people.

2. If you lived in the U.S., would you participate in Buy Nothing Day?

Yes, I like the idea of not buying anything on this day to celebrate other things besides being a consumer.

No, because I would like to take advantage of the sales.

3. Have you ever shopped online on Cyber Monday?

Yes, I purchased a new jacket for 50% off on Cyber Monday.

No, I hadnʼt even heard about it.

4. Do you like to buy things from your local businesses?

Yes, I enjoy supporting people who live and work in my community by buying from their stores or going to eat at their restaurants.

No, I think they charge to much for stuff that I can get cheaper at the big box stores, like Target.

10 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.

Here are some links that you can follow to find out more about topics related to this article.

Los Angeles Timesʼ article about Cyber Monday being bigger than Black Friday (video too) http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-black-friday-cyber- monday-20121126,0,5752163.story

Christmas on Earth? Try Buying Nothing article http://obrag.org/?p=68146

Businessweek Article on Small Business Saturday http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-26/no-door-busting-required-for-small-business- saturday

This video shows how crazy people really are when they are trying to save money on stuff they want to buy. This happened at a Target store at 4:00 AM in the morning!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOVD-m8urJU&feature=related

Example of a blogger who alerts people to Cyber Monday sales. http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2012/11/cyber-monday-sales-deals.html

News clip reporting on Cyber Monday - The Today Show http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49963256/#49963256

Ad for Buy Nothing Day North Americans buy way more stuff than other people in the world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_jpG6kv6Pw

Video showing how American Express created Small Business Saturday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgmLC6jbxfg

Article on how small businesses should be working on offering an experience they canʼt get elsewhere http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/11/26/independent-business-owners-send-the-wrong- signal-on-small-business-saturday-and-cyber-monday/

“...if you want to attract people inside your business you need to offer them an “experience” they can’t get anywhere else.”

11 These English Fluency Now materials are copyrighted by English Fluency Now (2012). I love that you would want to share this information, and if you do, please send people directly to www.englishfluencynow.com or to iTunes. Thank you for supporting English Fluency Now. If you have any questions, please email me at lisa @ englishfluencynow.com.