[E] It's All at the Mall

LET'S UNLOCK WORDS AND PHRASES 🔐

glumly

[ ˈgluhm-li ]

adverb

- in a sad and unhappy way

They just sat there eating glumly.

housewares

[ ˈhous-ˌwairz ]

noun

- items for the home

The league's thrift shop welcomes donations of furniture, clothes and housewares.

drugstore

[ ˈdruhg-ˌstawr ]

noun

- a retail store where you can purchase not only prescription and over-the-counter medications but also a variety of other health and personal care products

It's between the bookstore and the drugstore.

sample

[ ˈsam-puhl ]

noun

- a small size of an item to try for free

The shop is giving away a sample pack to every customer.

strip mall

phrase

- a line of shops along a street

The plant closed in 1976. Today the site is occupied by a strip mall.

LET'S READ! 📖

Direction: Read the passage aloud. Then, read it silently.

It's All at the Mall

Okay, raise your hand if you love shopping. What? No men? In the American stereotype, women love spending a day shopping at the mall, while men sit glumly on a bench, holding the bags. (And we thank them for that.) A large mall is a shopper's dream come true; there are specialty stores for everything! There are stores for kids and stores for kitchens; stores for makeup and stores for men; bookstores and shoe stores and toy stores and drugstores . . . well, you get the idea. Malls have at least one anchor department store. This is the place to head if you prefer shopping for everything in one store. These large stores carry everything from clothing to housewares. Want to smell like a million bucks? Stop at the perfume counter for a free sample of your favorite fragrance. And that's the main advantage of a department store or big indoor shopping mall—you can shop for everything in one place. There are no worries about bad weather. Even your car can stay dry and warm in the mall parking garage! (Raise your hand if you've ever lost your car in a parking garage. "But I was so sure I parked it right . . . here . . .")

Although the large, enclosed malls bring people from all over, the suburbs also have smaller, local malls. These strip malls usually have convenience shops where people can take care of their errands. The stores are lined up next to each other, and the front doors open onto an outdoor walkway. Strip malls usually have a small takeout restaurant, a dry cleaner, a bank branch, and a drugstore. Parking is right in front of the stores, so people can hop out quickly and run in for what they need. In bad weather, this may not be fun, but it's much quicker than parking in a large garage at the mall. And it's easier to find your car!

COMPREHENSION CHECK 🧠 A. Direction: Choose the correct answer to the following questions.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

What is the main advantage of a department store or big indoor shopping mall?
a. You can shop for everything in one place.
b. You can see a lot of expensive items.
c. It's easy to purchase costly products.
d. There are a lot of people.
What are strip malls usually lined up next to?
a. drugstores

b. cheap products

c. convenience shops

d. office supplies
What kind of stores are typically found in strip malls?
a. takeout restaurant, dry cleaner, bank branch, and drugstore

b. office supply stores, construction supplies, and laundry shops

c. cheap restaurants, school supply stores, and drugstores

d. expensive restaurants, laundry shops, and drugstores
Where do people often sit while shopping at the mall, according to the stereotype mentioned in the text?
a. Men sit on a couch while women stand.

b. Men sit on the ground while women sit on a bench.

c. Men sit on a couch while women shop.

d. Men sit on a bench while women shop.
What can you get at the perfume counter in a department store?
a. expensive samples of perfume

b. cheap samples of your favorite fragrance

c. free samples of your favorite fragrance

d. affordable sample of perfume

B. Direction: Answer the following questions based on the article.

What is mentioned as a potential problem in large mall parking garages?
What type of stores can you find in a large mall, according to the text?
How do front doors of stores in strip malls open?
In what type of weather is it quicker to shop at a strip mall?
What is the role of an anchor department store in a mall?

C. Direction: Match the words in column A with their synonyms in column B.

A	B
1. quickly	A. inside
2. indoor	B. amusement
3. advantage	C. pathway
4. walkway	D. swiftly
5. fun	E. benefit