Shopping

Shopping is the activity of searching and examining of produce, goods or services with the intent or desire to purchase from a retailer.

Shopping is also done by some people as a leisure activity as well as one that is done for economic purposes.

Some might consider shopping as an activity that involves buying and selecting goods from a shop.

The history of shopping can be traced back thru many civilizations with an example being Rome. Ancient Rome had areas that served for the retailing of goods such as the Trajan's Market which used tabernas as units for retail selling.

The discovery of a shopping list by Hadrin's wall in Rome which was dated back to 75-125 AD and written for a soldier gives proof of the activity of shopping in their daily life.

Many people consider shopping to be an activity of a recreational or diversional nature in which they browse thru a diversity of stores with a preconceived idea to purchase goods.

Window shopping consists of browsing shops with no definite intent to purchase, more or less just to pass the time, perhaps planning a future purchase or simply dreaming.

The different personalities or make-up of people is seen in how people react to or view shopping in that some people enjoy it and others try to avoid shopping whenever possible.

There are some people who have an addiction or an impulsive uncontrollable urge to shop and need the help of a support group to control their addiction.

Many cities have a large commercial zone that consists of shopping centers made-up of a collection of stores or several business groups.

Individual stores are categorized or identified by the selected goods or services they have available and by the target demographics or the available spendable income of the shopper.

There are many types of shops such as second-hand goods or non-profit shops also known as thrift or charity shops.

Some of the more common types of shops are antique, pawn, bookstores, and surplus shops.

Many stores specialize in selling goods that are related to a theme such as bookstores, boutiques, candy shops, liquor stores, supermarkets, sex shops, pharmacy's, pet stores, hardware and gift shops.

Stores that sell a wide variety of goods not related to a central theme are known as dollar stores, general stores, department stores, hypermarkets, big-box stores, and convenience stores.