The shopping opportunities in the US are enormous, and the country is full of all kinds of stores, including those aimed at tourists. You can buy just about anything from figurines to name-brand clothing. And the prices in most states will please you very much Shop tours to the USA are especially popular in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco and Miami.
Some well-known companies popular with tourists include Wal-Mart Stores, which sell all sorts of goods and groceries and are owned by one large chain, Costco self-service grocery warehouse stores, and Masy's, which carries clothing and shoes and electronics, which is also in Best Buy Co. U.S. supermarket chains Kroger, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, and small 7-Eleven are at your service.
The types of stores in the U.S.
Shop. An ordinary, usually small store.
Store. Compared to a shop, usually a larger store with different products.
Mom & pop store. A small, privately owned store, usually located in a downtown business district. Traditionally sells exclusive items.
Department Store. A large department store.
Cash & Carry. At this store, you can only buy goods in bulk and for cash, but at low prices.
Small private stores usually operate on their own schedule, but most of them are open Monday through Friday from 09:30 to 17:30. Large supermarkets are open Monday through Saturday from 09:30 to 21:30, Sundays from 12:00 to 17:00, but there are some open 24 hours a day.
There are sales in the USA practically all year round. So you should keep a close eye on the signs on the stores. The most active season of sales in the U.S. happens twice a year: in August-September and in December-January, and at this time among shopaholics begins a frenzy of excitement.
