Shopping for Clothes

Read this conversation at a department store:

Clerk: Hello, may I help you?
Customer: Yes, May I try this on?
Clerk: Sure, go ahead.
Customer: Where's the dressing room?
Clerk: It's over there on the right wall.

When you are at a department store, you will need to "try on" clothes before you buy them. Before going into the dressing room, you should ask permission.

The first words a salesperson will ask you are:

"May I help you?"    or   "Can I help you?"


The customer answered with:

"May I try this on?"


He could also have said:

"Can I try this on?"   or   "I'd like to try this on."


If you don't want to "try on" anything, you can say:

"I'm just looking."


Now, read this short conversation:

Clerk: May I help you?
Customer: No, thanks. I'm just looking.


If you don't know where the dressing room is, you can ask the clerk.
Read the last part of that conversation again:

Customer: Where's the dressing room?
Clerk: It's over there on the right wall.


Another way to say the same thing is:

"Where can I try this on?"


Read this short conversation:

Customer: Excuse me, where can I try this on?
Clerk: The dressing room is over there on the right.

Read this similar conversation:

Clerk: Hello, can I help you?
Customer : Yes, can I try this shirt on?
Clerk: Yes you can.
Customer: Where can I try this on?
Clerk: The dressing room is over there on the right wall.





Once you are in the dressing room, you might need to ask for help.
Read this conversation:

Clerk: How are you doing in there?
Customer: Could you help me?
Clerk: Sure.
Customer: What kind of material is this?
Clerk: It's cotton.


The salesperson might ask you:

"How are you doing in there?"

or they might say:   "Do you need any help?"


If you don't need any help, you can say:

"I'm doing fine"   or   "I'm OK"


If you do need help, don't hesitate to ask the salesclerk because that's their job. Now read this conversation:

Clerk: How are you doing in there?
Customer: Could you help me?
Clerk: Sure.
Customer: Do you have another size?
Clerk: Yes, what size do you want?
Customer: I want a size 7.

 
Did you understand that conversation? She asked for help and the salesperson went to get her another size. Let's read part of that conversation again:

Clerk: How are you doing in there?
Customer: Could you help me?

If the customer needs help, they can say:

"Could you help me?"

"Would you help me?"

or

"I need your help"


Before buying something, you should check the label to see what kind of material it is made out of and also how it is to be washed. You can also ask the salesperson.Read this conversation:

Customer: What kind of material is this?
Clerk: It's 100% cotton.

The customer asked:

"What kind of material is this?"


Another way that he could have said the same thing is:

"What's this made of?"


There are many different kinds of material. Read these short conversations:

Michael: What material is this?
Michiko: It's cotton.

Michael: What's this made of?
Michiko: It's made of wool.

Michael: What kind of material is this?
Michiko: It's a polyester blend.




Did you hear those different types of material. Cotton, wool, polyester blend. Now listen to those sentences again and repeat after me and Michiko:

The reason that it's important to know the kind of material is because each type of material requires different washing instructions. For example:

"Wool may need to be dry cleaned"   or   "Cotton may need to be washed in cold water"


It's also important to know if it's possible to wash in a washing machine or if you have to wash it by hand. If you are unsure, you can ask the clerk.

Read these conversations:

Customer: Can I wash this in the washing machine?
Clerk: Yes, you can. It's made from cotton.

Customer: Should I wash this by hand?
Clerk: Yes, it's better not to wash this in the washing machine because it's made out of silk.

Read this conversation:

Clerk: Hello, may I help you?
Customer:Yes, May I try this on?
Clerk: Sure, go ahead.
Customer: Where's the dressing room?
Clerk: It's over there on the right wall.

Clerk: How are you doing in there?
Customer: O.K. but could you help me?
Clerk: Sure.
Customer: What material is this?
Clerk: It's made out of cotton?
Customer: Can I wash this in the washing machine?
Clerk: Yes, you can.
Customer: OK. I'll take it.

Here are the key sentences to remember:

"May I try this on?"   or   "I'd like to try this on?"


"Where's the dressing room?"    or   "Where can I try this on?"

"Could you help me?   or   "I need your help."

"What's this made of?"    or   "What kind of material is this?"