[English]
Hello everyone, welcome to the new issue of "Everyday Chinese".
I am Li Ming.
Hello everyone, I am Wang Yu.
I'm glad to meet you all again.
Wang Yu, you look very happy today. Is there something good that happened?
(laughing) Haha, Li Ming, you have really good eyes. Of course I'm happy!
Look, does the new clothes I’m wearing today look good?
Well, it looks good and the color is very good.
Is it new? Went shopping on the weekend?
I didn't go shopping.
I bought this dress online and it just arrived yesterday.
I waited for three days and I can finally wear it today!
Oh, it turns out I bought it online.
You really like online shopping.
I rarely buy things online, especially clothes.
What? Nowadays, many people like to buy things online, which is convenient and fast.
Why don't you like it?
I think it’s better to go to the store to buy things.
It feels different.
You see, our views seem to be very different.
Yes! So let’s talk about this topic today, shall we?
Good idea.
Today, we will talk to you: Which one do you prefer, online shopping or going to the store to buy things?
Li Ming, let’s talk about “convenience” first.
I think the biggest advantage of online shopping is convenience.
Convenient? How to say?
You think, I can buy things at home.
I can be in bed, looking at my phone,
Buy things I like.
I can also look at what I want to buy in the office during my break.
I don’t need to go out or walk,
No need to take a car either.
How convenient this is!
Well, you are right.
Not having to go out sounds really convenient.
Especially in hot summer or cold winter, it is really comfortable to buy things at home.
Yes! Moreover, everything is available online.
If I want to buy a book, I can buy it online.
I want to buy a new mobile phone. I can buy it online.
I'm hungry and don't want to cook.
I can also order takeout online.
Food, clothing, and use,
You can find everything online.
I agree with this.
There are indeed a lot of things on the Internet.
But, Wang Yu, don’t you think the waiting time is too long?
You said it took three days for your clothes to arrive.
If I go to the store and buy it, I pay the money and I can wear new clothes and use a new mobile phone right away.
I like the feeling of getting it right away.
(laughing), I understand.
But I think it doesn’t matter if I wait a few days.
While waiting, I feel very excited.
Every day I wonder: Where are my things?
Will you arrive today?
This feeling is also very interesting.
Really?
I am a very impatient person.
If I had to wait a week, I might forget what I bought.
(laughing) No way!
In addition to convenience, there are also many choices online.
For example, I want to buy a cup.
If I go to the store next to our house,
There are maybe only ten types of cups.
But on the Internet,
I can find a hundred, maybe even a thousand types of cups.
Various colors, various looks,
I'm sure to find my favorite one.
Well, having more choices is a good thing, but sometimes, I think having too many choices is also a problem.
Question? Why?
Because there are too many choices,
I don't know which one to buy.
Just like you said about cups, if there were a thousand cups and they were all beautiful,
then I might have to look at them for two hours and not know which one to buy.
I feel very tired.
This is true.
Sometimes, in order to buy something,
I look at my phone for a really long time.
But when you find the thing you like the most,
It’s really a sense of accomplishment.
Don’t you think?
I think there are fewer choices when going to a store.
Might be easier to decide.
The clerk can also help me.
He will tell me which cup sells the best,
Which one has the best quality.
Well, these two feelings are indeed very different.
I like to take the time to find it myself,
You like others to give you some advice.
You can say that. Let's take a break,
We will talk about price and quality in a moment.
Welcome back.
Wang Yu, we just talked about convenience and choice.
Now let’s talk about issues that many people are concerned about:
price.
Speaking of price, online shopping must be better!
Things online are often cheaper than in stores.
Really?
Why?
Because they don’t need a real store to open a store online, they don’t have to pay expensive money to rent a place.
In this way, the things they sell can be cheaper.
Moreover, there are often various activities online with "discounts".
"Discount"?
This word is very useful. Can you explain it to our listeners?
Of course.
"Discount" means that the price of something becomes cheaper.
For example, a piece of clothing originally sold for 100 yuan,
after discount, it may only cost 80 yuan, or 50 yuan.
I especially like to look for discounted items online. I feel like I’m saving money and I’m very happy.
I understand.
Saving money is indeed a happy thing.
But, Wang Yu, have you ever thought about whether the quality of things will be bad if the price becomes cheaper?
Well...that's a good question.
Let me tell you a story about myself.
Once, I saw a shirt on the Internet.
The photo was very nice and I also like the color.
The price is also very cheap.
I bought it.
What then?
After waiting for a week, the stuff arrived.
I opened it and was very disappointed.
The color of the shirt is different from the one in the photo. It looks old.
Moreover, the quality of the clothes is very poor. It feels like they will break after just one wash.
Huh? That's too bad.
What did you do next?
I just kept it at home and never wore it again.
Since then, I rarely buy clothes online.
Because you can’t see the real thing, and you can’t touch it, you don’t know whether its quality is good or not.
I think buying things online is sometimes like opening a box without knowing what's inside.
(laughing) Haha, your metaphor is very interesting.
"It's like opening a box without knowing what's inside."
Sometimes this is indeed the case, and it is a bit risky.
However, now we can read other people's "comments".
"Comment"?
Right. "Reviews" are opinions written by other people who have bought the same thing.
They will say whether this thing is good or not,
Will there be any problem?
Some people also take photos of the things they receive.
Before buying, I spend a lot of time reading reviews.
If many people say yes, then I will buy it.
If someone says something bad, then I won’t buy it.
This is a good idea.
This way you can know the real situation of things.
But aren’t you tired of reading so many comments?
A little bit.
But in order to buy good and cheap things, I think it’s worth spending some time.
By the way, Li Ming, do you know "Taobao"?
Of course I know.
But maybe some of our audience friends don’t know much about it.
Okay. Then I will briefly introduce it.
"Taobao" is a very, very large shopping website in China.
You can think of it as a huge online store that has everything.
Chinese people like to use it very much.
In addition to Taobao, there are also "Jingdong" and so on.
When buying things in these places, it is very important to read reviews.
I understand.
So, your method is to spend time reading comments to solve quality problems.
However, I still feel that it is more secure to go to the store to buy things.
I can see it with my own eyes and touch it with my own hands.
I can know how this dress looks on me.
Well, we can talk about this in the next part, which is the issue of "experience" and "feeling".
Okay, let's continue.
Li Ming, you just said that you prefer to buy things in stores because you can see them with your own eyes and touch them with your own hands.
Right. For me, shopping is not just about buying something to take home.
Shopping itself is also an experience and a way to relax.
Oh? How to say?
For example, on weekends, when the weather is nice, I will go shopping with my friends or family.
Let's walk slowly, look at the beautiful things in the store,
and chat, which in itself is a very happy thing.
Well, it’s really nice to go shopping with friends.
Especially when buying clothes or shoes.
I must "try it".
"Try it", this word is also very important.
Yes. To "try on" means to put it on or use it to see if it fits and if you like it.
In the store, there is a "fitting room" where I can take clothes and try them on.
I can see if the size of this dress is just right and the color really suits me.
But when buying online, you can't try it.
This is indeed a big problem with online shopping.
Sometimes the clothes I buy online are too big or too small.
Although many online stores now say that if the item is not suitable, you can send it back.
But I find it very troublesome.
Yes, it takes time and trouble to send it back.
So, in order to avoid trouble, I would rather go to the store to buy it.
I can try on five clothes and buy the one that suits me best.
This process makes me feel very relieved.
Li Ming, I understand what you mean.
But sometimes, I feel tired going to the store to buy things.
There are many people and you have to queue up to pay.
My legs are sore after walking too much.
I prefer to be at home, drinking tea, looking at my phone and shopping comfortably.
(laughing) Haha, we are really different.
I like the excitement and watching people coming and going.
You like quiet and like to be alone.
You can say that.
However, Li Ming, I have a question.
Sometimes, I also want to go to the store to buy something, but I don’t know how to talk to the store clerk.
For example, I want to ask how much something costs, or I want to try on clothes,
But I don’t speak Chinese very well, and I’m a little scared.
I'm afraid they won't understand what I'm saying.
There is no such problem when buying things online.
I just need to look at it and click on it with my hand. It's very simple.
Wang Yu, I understand your feelings very well.
I think many friends who are learning Chinese may have the same worries as you.
This is normal.
At the beginning, many people felt that speaking in a new language abroad was a bit difficult and a bit nervous.
...
Yes, yes, that’s how it feels.
But don't worry.
I can give you a small suggestion.
Before you go to the store, you can prepare a few simple questions.
For example, if you walk into a store and see something you like, you can point to it and
ask the clerk: "Hello, how much does this cost?"
"Hello, how much does this cost?"
Well, this one is very simple.
Right. If the store clerk tells you the price, you think it’s okay and want to try it.
You can ask: "Can I try it?"
"Can I try it?"
Yes. As long as you can speak these two sentences,
you can buy a lot of things in Chinese stores.
The store clerks are very nice and they will help you.
The more you speak, the less afraid you will be and your speaking will get better and better.
Learning a language means speaking more and practicing more.
Well, you're right. Thank you, Li Ming.
I will definitely give it a try next time.
Maybe I will find it interesting to go to the store to buy things.
I believe you will.
So, when it comes to experience and feeling, one of us likes the joy of going shopping,
and the other likes the comfort of being at home.
It seems that these two methods really have their own advantages.
Okay, today we talked a lot about online shopping and going to stores to buy things.
Time flies so fast.
Yes. We seem to have said a lot, so let me briefly summarize it.
No, let me summarize today!
Let me practice.
(laughing) Okay, here you go.
Today we discussed two ways to buy things.
The first one is "online shopping".
Its advantage is "convenience", you can buy things at home.
It also has many "choices", and the "price" may be "cheaper" and sometimes "discounted".
However, the problem is that you can't see the real thing,
the "quality" is not necessarily good, and you can't "try it".
sums it up very well.
What about the second type?
The second is "go to the store to buy something".
Its advantage is that you can see things with your own eyes,
and you can know whether the "quality" is good or not.
You can also "try on" the clothes to make sure they are the right size.
Moreover, shopping itself is also a good "experience".
The problem may be that it is not as "convenient" as online,
the "selection" and "price" may not be as good as online.
Great!
Wang Yu, you summarized it very clearly.
It seems that no one is absolutely the best, only which one is more suitable for you.
Yes. Some people like convenience;
Some people like experiences.
So, friends who are listening to our podcast, what about you?
Do you prefer online shopping or go to the store to buy things?
Why?
Have you bought anything interesting online recently?
Or, when you went to the store, did any interesting stories happen?
Everyone is welcome to leave us a message and tell us your thoughts and stories using the Chinese words you have learned.
We look forward to seeing what you share.
Okay, that’s it for today’s “Everyday Chinese”.
Thanks everyone for listening.
See you next time!
Goodbye!