Lesson Eight 

 What’s the date today?     It’s Tuesday “the” 15^th “of” September

How do you manage with too little sleep? How do you cope?  How do you get by?

How do they manage on one salary?

 What we did today

• Language for the checkout
• convenient or comfortable?
• Tesco as an employer  (a supermarket chain)
• Checkout language

 

We live in a very quiet neighbourhood.

a warehouse  (storage)

a truck

she was driving a forklift truck

What was appealing?  (lockande)

a challenging workplace. challenges

an encouraging workplace

You grow and improve in your career

There are many career/jobs prospects  (= opportunities)

Would you prefer to work in a big company or a small company?

What are the advantages?  higher salary

What are the disadvantages of a big company?

It depends on the company culture

It depends on which department you work in

If you decided to work in a supermarket, which department would you prefer to work in?

What was it like to have your own shop?  (Describe your experience)

I met many people every day

what kind of personality should you have to work in a shop?  friendly, service-minded, welcoming, calm under pressure, outgoing and sociable

Why did you give up your shop?

Big companies usually provide more benefits such as generous holidays,

special offers, staff discounts, yearly bonuses

I had subsidised lunches in the staff canteen  (the company paid for some of it)

I struggle with it every morning!  kämpar

a financially stable company   “fy-NAN-shee-lee”

Pronunciation: “eyes/I”

finance, fight, final, fine, finally

biological, bicycle, bilateral

violent, violet, advice

library, light, like

tight, time

 

 

 

 

 

comfortable / uncomfortable – how something feels physically or emotionally.

a comfortable chair, uncomfortable shoes, an uncomfortable situation, uncomfortable discussions, I feel comfortable in his company.

convenient / inconvenient – how easy or practical something is.

a convenient location, convenient opening hours, an inconvenient time

 

1. The store is located next to the train station, so it’s very convenient for customers to get to.
2. Having to wait 45 minutes to speak to a customer service representative was very inconven
3. The customer complained that the hard plastic seats in the waiting area were uncomfortable “un-kumff-ta-bull”
4. We offer several payment options to make shopping more convenient.
5. We offer home delivery because it is more convenient for customers who are unable to visit the store. (=much easier)
6. The shoes looked great, but they were very uncomfortable so the customer decided not to buy them.
7. Paying by card is more convenient than having to go to an ATM first.
8. The customer wasn’t comfortable with the way the salesperson spoke to her. She thought he was abrupt and unfriendly.
9. Our online returns system makes it convenient for customers to return products from home.
10. Customer: “Could I sit somewhere while I wait?”

Employee: “Of course. Please make yourself comfortable”

 

 

On Sunday, there were queues of up to three hours for people waiting to vote.  It was really inconvenient.

customs (airport, ferry terminal)

an ATM = bank machine, cash machine  “a hole-in-the-wall” to get some cash out

Automated Teller Machine  (a bank teller)

 

In breakout rooms

Checkout language

a cashier   CaSHEEr

checkout	the place where you pay	The checkout is over there.
cash	money in notes and coins	Are you paying by/in cash?
card	a credit/ debit card	You can pay by card.     (debit card – can only use what is in my account)
contactless	paying by tapping your card/phone	You can use contactless.    Contactless payments
cashier	the person working at the checkout	The cashier scans my items.
customer	the person buying something	The customer is waiting.
receipt	a paper/digital record of your purchase	Would you like a receipt?
change	cash returned when someone pays more than the price	Here’s your change.
total	the complete amount to pay	Your total is £24.50.    24 pounds, 50.        50p fifty pence    100 pence to a pound
price	how much something costs	What’s the price of this?
loyalty card	a card that gives points/rewards	Do you have a loyalty card?
scan	to read a product’s barcode (printed code)	I’ll scan that for you.
PIN	a secret number used with a bank card	Please enter your PIN.
payment	money given for something	Your payment has gone through.
declined	refused/not accepted	I’m sorry, your card was declined
receipt paper	paper used by the receipt printer	We’re out of receipt paper. (= none left)  / We’ve run out of receipt

 

We’re out of milk. Can you buy some more on the way home?

We’re running out of coffee filters.  I’ll get some later.

We’re running out of bread.

We’ve run out of coffee. Would you like tea instead?

run out of time, run out of patience, energy

 

 

 Customer-service language

Change the following so they sound politer and less abrupt

Give me your card.  Could you (please) let me have your card.

Please enter your PIN (here).  /Enter your PIN (here) please

Your card doesn’t work.  Unfortunately/ I’m afraid your card has been declined.   Do you have another card?

Do you need a bag?  /  Would you like a bag?  Would you like a printed receipt or would you prefer a digital receipt?

 

What?  What did you say?

(I’m) Sorry, could you repeat that?  Could you say that more slowly?  I didn’t catch what you said.

Excuse me (= used for catching someone attention,

Excuse me, can I get through?

to be declined, to be promoted

passive is more polite than active forms

I’m sorry I’m late, I was caught in heavy traffic.  There were delays on the underground.

 

to keep down congestion on London roads

The roads were congested in rush hours

 

Useful checkout phrases

Greeting the customer

• Hello!
• Hi! How are you?
• Good morning/ Good afternoon.
• Did you find everything you needed?
• How are you (today)?
• Anything about the weather is ok!

 

Bags

• Would you like a bag?
• Do you need a bag?
• How many bags would you like?
• Would you like a large or small bag?
• Would you like a plastic or paper carrier bag?

 

Loyalty cards

• Do you have a loyalty card?
• Do you have a membership card?
• Would you like to use your loyalty card?
• Are you a member?
• Can I scan your loyalty card?  = customer membership card

 

travel card, a 24-hour city travel card

He pays reduced fares.

Your card was rejected.  (?)

We can invoice your company if you prefer.

Please send me your invoice.

bill – phone bills, heating bills etc

Excuse me, could I have the bill/check please?

 

Payment

• Your total is £18.75.     18 pounds, 75
• That comes to £18.75  (in total).
• How would you like to pay?
• Are you paying by cash or card?
• You can tap your card here.   = the payment terminal
• Please insert your card.
• Please enter your PIN.
• Your payment has gone through/has been declined.

 

I need to transfer some money to my account.

I need to transfer at Stockholm Central,  I need to transfer (planes) at Frankfurt.

 

 

Receipt

• Would you like a receipt?
• Here’s your receipt.   heeers
• Would you like a printed receipt?
• Your receipt is in the bag.

 

‘ = an apostrophe – replaces a missing letter   is

here’s –  make the pronunciation, and one word sound

I did not eat the last of the cake  (= emphatic)

 

Finishing the sale

• Thank you.
• Thank you very much.
• Have a nice day!
• Enjoy the rest of your day!
• See you next time!
• See you later!   (= Australian)
• ?
• ”Why don’t you stay here”?  speech/quotation marks, used for direct speech

 

“Wow! “, he exclaimed.

an exclamation mark

“Hello!”

 

 

 

 

Grammar: Would you like…?

Would you like…? to make polite offers.

 

Would you like + noun?

• Would you like a bag?
• Would you like a receipt?
• Would you like a printed receipt?
• Would you like something to drink?

 

We can also say:

Would you like + to + verb?

• Would you like to pay by card?
• Would you like to use your loyalty card?
• Would you like to pay in cash?

 

Customer answers

Cashier: Would you like a bag?
Customer: Yes, please.

Cashier: Would you like a receipt?  re-SEET
Customer: No, thank you.

 

Practice

Complete the questions:

1. ______ you like a bag?
2. ______ you like a receipt?
3. ______ you like to pay by card?
4. ______ you like to use your loyalty card?

 

Grammar: Can and Could

We use Can I…? and Could you…? for polite requests.

Cashier

Can I help you?

Can I see your loyalty card ?

Can I see some identification please?  Can you show me some identification please?

Could you enter your PIN, please?

Could you try your card again, please?

Customer

Can I pay by card?

Could I have a receipt, please?

Can I have a bag, please?

Could you check the price, please?

Could you scan this again, please?

Could you check the total again please.

I think I’ve been overcharged for the lamb steak.

Have you included the discount?  I think you’ve missed the discount on the lamb steak.

 

Which is more polite?

Both can and could are polite.

• Can you enter your PIN, please? — polite
• Could you enter your PIN, please? — a little more formal/polite

For customer service, Could you… please? is often a good choice.

 

 

Numbers and prices

You need to be comfortable saying prices clearly.

Examples

£2.50 → two pounds fifty

£7.99 → seven pounds ninety-nine

£15.20 → fifteen pounds twenty

€4.50 → four euros fifty

$12.75 → twelve dollars seventy-five

160 SEK  – a hundred ‘n’ 60 kronor/ crowns

Do you mean Danish, Norwegian or Swedish kronor?    “Nor- weeedjun”

samlar bonus  = collect bonus points

without paying a fee  (= avgift)

 

Checkout examples

Your total is £12.50.  12 pounds, 50

That comes to £27.80.

Your total is €36.45, please.

Change

Customer pays £20.

Total = £13.50

Cashier:

Your change is six pounds 50

Here’s your change.

mental arithmetic

 

 

 

Dialogue 1: Paying by card

Cashier: Hello! Did you find everything you needed?

Customer: Yes, thank you.

Cashier: Do you have a loyalty card?

Customer: Yes, here you are.

Cashier: Thank you. Would you like a bag?

Customer: Yes, please. One bag.

Cashier: Sure. Your total is £24.60.

Customer: Can I pay by card?

Cashier: Of course. You can tap your card here.

Customer: Okay.

Cashier: Thank you. Your payment has gone through. Would you like a receipt?

Customer: Yes, please.

Cashier: Here you are. Have a nice day!

Customer: Thank you. You too!

 

Dialogue 2: Paying in cash

Cashier: Good morning.

Customer: Good morning.

Cashier: Your total is £16.75, please.   sixteen pounds, 75

Customer: Here you are. Twenty pounds.

Cashier: Thank you. Out of £20. Your change is £3.25.

Customer: Thank you.

Cashier: Would you like a receipt?

Customer: Yes, please.

Cashier: Here you are. Have a nice day!

Customer: Thanks. Bye!

 

Dialogue 3: Contactless payment

Cashier: Your total is £8.40.

Customer: Can I pay contactless?  CON-tact-luss

Cashier: Yes, of course.

Customer: Where do I tap?

Cashier: Just tap your card on the reader here, please.

Customer: Okay.

Cashier: Perfect. Your payment has gone through.

Customer: Great.

Cashier: Would you like a receipt?

Customer: No, thank you.

Cashier: No problem. Have a nice day!

 

Dialogue 4: Card payment problem

Cashier: Your total is £32.90.

Customer: I’ll pay by card.

Cashier: Sure.

The customer taps the card.

Cashier: I’m sorry, the payment hasn’t gone through.

Customer: Oh. What’s wrong?

Cashier: I’m not sure. Could you try your card again, please?

Customer: Sure.

The customer tries again.

Cashier: I’m afraid it’s still not working.

Customer: Can I try another card?

Cashier: Of course.

Customer: Okay. This one works.

Cashier: Great. Your payment has gone through. Would you like a receipt?

Customer: Yes, please.

Cashier: Here you are. Sorry about that.

Customer: That’s okay. Thank you.