This document provides vocabulary for describing different types of shops. It defines convenience stores, department stores, bakeries, butchers, florists, and other store types like bookstores, pet stores, toy stores, shoe stores, candy stores, and ice cream parlours. It also defines parts of a shop like shopping carts/trolleys, baskets, tills, aisles, shop assistants, displays, stock rooms, and mannequins. The document notes terminology differences between British and American English and provides examples to help describe specific shops for IELTS purposes.

1. Describe a Shop
Learn Vocabulary So You Can

2. Types of Shop

3. Convenience Store
o a small shop where you
can buy daily
“essentials”
In the UK, this is often
called a “corner shop” but
these days we frequently
use the American
“convenience store.”

4. Department Store
o a retail establishment
offering a wide range of
consumer goods in
different areas of the
store
This is not quite a mall. A
shopping mall is bigger and
may have several
department stores inside.

5. Bakery
o a place where bread,
cakes, and pastries are
made and sold

6. Butcher
o a place where meat is
prepared and sold
These are less common
nowadays, but most
supermarkets have a
butchery section.

7. Florist
o a shop that sells flowers
Some people might say
“flower shop” but “florist” is
generally a better word.

8. Others
o bookstore/bookshop
o pet store/pet shop
o toy store/ toy shop
o shoe store/ shoe shop
o candy store/ sweet shop
o ice cream parlour
Note: Americans say “store”
and British people say
“shop.”

9. There are different parts of a shop that you
might not have learned about in an English
textbook.
You should learn these words so that you can
talk about shops for IELTS.
Parts of a
Shop

10. Shopping Cart/Trolley
o a place to put your
shopping as you walk
around a supermarket
British people will
understand what a
“shopping cart” is but many
Americans have never
heard of a “shopping
trolley.”

11. Shopping Basket
o another place to put your
shopping as you walk
around a supermarket

12. Till
o this is where money is
kept when customers
buy things
People might talk about
“goings to the tills” or “going
to the counter.” It means
the same thing, but
“counter” refers more to the
desk than the machine.

13. Aisle
o the area between
shelves in a shop, where
customers can walk
This is pronounced the
same as “I’ll.”

14. Other Features
All shops are different, so you should learn
vocabulary about the shop you want to
describe.
In this section, we can see some examples of
specific and relevant language.

15. Shop Assistant
o a person who works in a
shop in a general
capacity (ie not a
manager)
We can also talk more
generally by saying “staff.”

16. Display
o a part of the store that is
designed to look
appealing to customers
These are also known as
“shelves” but a display is
specifically designed to
make the product look
good.

17. Stock Room
o this is where items are
kept when they are not
on the shop shelves
This may also be called “the
store room” or “the
warehouse.”

18. Mannequin
o a figure on which clothes
are put to show what
they look like when worn
It is pronounced “man-eh-
kin.”