Describe a time that you were shopping in a street market
You should say:
When it was Where it was What you bought
How you felt about the shopping experience

There’s one particular street market I remember visiting a few years ago. I was traveling with some friends in Mexico and we stopped off in a town called Cuernavaca.

We went to explore the center of the town one morning and it was literally mobbed with people, I think it was a Tuesday morning if I remember correctly. Anyway we asked one of the locals what was going on and they explained that it was ‘market day’ which apparently is a big event for them.

We strolled down the street to see what all the fuss was about. When we arrived at the market it was really impressive, it spanned about 5 blocks and there seemed to be all kinds of different things you could buy. We saw clothes, food, shoes, jewelry and many local crafts for sale as well.

I think we must have spent a couple of hours there just exploring all the market stalls and some of us bought some souvenirs for friends back home. It was a great experience because there were people from all over the region who had come to set up their stalls and sell their goods there.

After we had finished looking at everything we stopped at one of the food stalls to have some lunch, some spicy tacos and a nice refreshing beer, it was excellent.

I think it’s one of the biggest markets I’ve ever been to, and it was certainly one of the most colorful. They even had buskers there performing all day. As i said, we spent at least a couple of hours looking at all the offerings, but apparently it goes on well into the night as well. They run it for 2 days back to back once a month.

I began to realize why it was such a big event for the locals, it was really amazing and I’ve certainly never seen a market like it since then.

Market day is a big tradition for the town and the locals always look forward to it each month. Apparently it used to be quite a *all affair when it first started hundreds of years ago, but it’s grown and grown, and when we were there it was almost like a supermarket, but out on the street.

后续提问：

Do people in your country enjoy going to open-air markets that sell things like food or clothes or old objects? Which type of market is more popular? Why?
The people of my country usually shop their necessaries from the open-air markets. It is like a culture for them to visit the markets once a day. So, it seems they enjoy much in shopping in those markets more than shopping at the concrete-build shopping malls. The shopping malls are popular among the top class people but most of the ordinary people like to visit the open markets for some specific reasons. The first cause is that a large variety of a single product is available there which is not found at the attractive shopping malls. Besides, the sellers in the shopping malls have no bargaining policy which is practised and the common feature at the open markets.

Do you think markets are more suitable places for selling certain types of things? Which ones? Why do you think this is?
The markets are visited by most of the commoners and they are on their way to home. So, those places are suitable to sell certain types of things like *all electronic gadgets, hair cut facilities, clothes for common use etc. The things are sold in the open markets as the products and things are frequently used and thus get damaged soon, but the people do not care about using those with care as they are less expensive comparing to the shopping malls and available in the open markets.

Do you think young people feel the same about shopping at markets as older people? Why is that?
In fact, the feelings of shopping differ from generation to generation in the country. The feelings of the old and *s are not the same for several reasons over using any product. When they are at the market, the *s may start recalling their past over any specific product – how it was, how they used the product etc. But it is entirely different for the younger people because they have no memories to recall any product as they are the fresh users of the products. Moreover, the choices may also differ from the older people for the age-group distance and gap.

What do you think are the advantages of buying things from shops rather than markets?
If you buy something from a shop, it could be easier for you to check the thing rightly before you finally purchase that. But in markets, you might not have that chance to check the thing properly and the sellers at the markets may turn reluctant to change the product or service. Moreover, if you want hassle-free shopping and without bargaining, shops are the best places for you rather than markets. Another difference between these two places is the prices of the products.

How does advertising influence what people choose to buy? Is this true for everyone?
Advertisements have great influences on the people. If someone is looking for any specific product at a shop or a market, s/he will look for the thing that they had seen on advertisements in different media. The advertisements subconsciously influence people to buy specific products. There is none who could avoid the influence.

Do you think that any recent changes in the way people live have affected general shopping trends?
Yes, definitely the lifestyle, socioeconomic conditions and advertising have greatly changed people’s habit of shopping. Currently, the people have started for branded products and thus the markets are also providing them with the desired items. The changes are notable and it is done by advertisements. While people in the past mostly purchased products and goods they needed, people nowadays purchase more than they actually need. The range of necessity has also enhanced to a great extent.