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📕 A2: Grades 10-12 • SHOPPING & FASHION

Shopping & Fashion: Polite Requests

In this lesson, you will learn vocabulary for shopping and practice making polite requests. You will read a customer service email, listen to a customer calling about a refund, and practice a role-play.

Shopping & Fashion: Polite Requests
💬 Warm-up
1 Do you like shopping for clothes? Why or why not?
2 What do you do if you want to return something you bought?
3 How do you ask for a discount politely?

🎯 Objectives

  • Learn shopping-related vocabulary: customer, price, discount, sale, cash, receipt
  • Use present simple to describe routine shopping situations
  • Make polite requests with 'Can I...?' in customer service contexts
In this block:

📚 Vocabulary

1.
customer
"The customer asks for a discount."
a person who buys something from a store
2.
price
"The price of this jacket is $50."
the amount of money you pay for something
3.
discount
"There is a 20% discount on all shoes."
a reduction in price
4.
sale
"The store has a big sale this weekend."
a time when items are sold at lower prices
5.
cash
"I pay with cash, not a card."
money in the form of coins and bills
6.
receipt
"Keep your receipt in case you want a refund."
a piece of paper that shows you paid for something
🗓️ Friday, 9th October 2026
customer
a person who buys something from a store
price
the amount of money you pay for something
discount
a reduction in price
sale
a time when items are sold at lower prices
cash
money in the form of coins and bills
receipt
a piece of paper that shows you paid for something

✍️ Practice

Guess the missing word.
1. The customer asks for help finding a shirt.
2. Everything is on sale this week.
3. Can you tell me the price of this dress?
4. The store gives a 10% discount on all items today.
5. I only have cash , so I need to go to the bank.
6. Please show me your receipt when you return the item.
🗓️ Friday, 9th October 2026
1. The customer asks for help finding a shirt.
2. Everything is on sale this week.
3. Can you tell me the price of this dress?
4. The store gives a 10% discount on all items today.
5. I only have cash , so I need to go to the bank.
6. Please show me your receipt when you return the item.

📖 Reading

A Refund Request Email

To: support@fashionstore.com Subject: Refund request for a jacket Dear Customer Service, I am a customer at your store. I bought a blue jacket from your website last week. The price was fifty dollars, and it was on sale at that time. When I got the jacket, I saw a small hole in the sleeve. I am not happy with the item.

I want to ask for a refund. Can I return the jacket and get my money back? I still have the receipt and the original packaging. I paid with cash, so I prefer to get cash back. If possible, can you give a discount on my next purchase instead? That would be fine too.

Please tell me how to send the jacket back. I hope you can help me. Thank you. Sincerely, Maria Lopez

Comprehension Questions

1.
What did Maria buy from the store?
She bought a blue jacket.
2.
What was wrong with the item?
There was a small hole in the sleeve.
3.
How did Maria pay for the jacket?
She paid with cash.
4.
What does Maria still have from the purchase?
She has the receipt and original packaging.
5.
What alternative does Maria suggest?
She suggests a discount on her next purchase.

🎧 Listening Practice

Calling Customer Service

0:00 / 0:00
Listening context

Comprehension Questions

1.
What did Jessica buy last Saturday?
She bought a pair of shoes.
2.
How much were the shoes?
They were thirty dollars on sale.
3.
How did Jessica pay?
She paid with cash.
4.
What is the problem with the shoes?
The left shoe has a scratch on the front.
5.
Does Jessica want a discount?
No, she wants a full refund.

🗣️ Pair Work

Complaint Role-Play

"Work with a partner. One person is a customer, the other is a customer service representative. The customer wants a refund for a defective item. Use polite requests like 'Can I...?' and vocabulary from the lesson. Follow the steps below."

👉 Customer explains the problem with the item.

👉 Customer asks for a refund politely.

👉 Representative asks for the receipt.

👉 Representative offers a discount as an alternative.

👉 Customer decides and thanks the representative.

🚀 EnglishDee Tasks

KEYWORDS: customer price discount sale cash receipt
✍️ WRITING

Refund Request

Write a polite email to a store requesting a refund for a jacket you bought last week. Include a greeting, reason for refund, and a polite request.

✅ Checklist:
  • Write 80-100 words.
  • Use present simple and 'Can I...' for polite requests.
  • Include words like customer, price, receipt, discount.
🎙️ SPEAKING

Refund Request Talk

Record a 45-second talk. Imagine you are calling customer service to request a refund. State your name, the problem, and make a polite request.

✅ Checklist:
  • Speak for 45 seconds.
  • Use present simple and polite requests.
  • Include vocabulary: sale, cash, receipt, customer.
Helpful Phrases
  • I am calling because I have a problem with...
  • Can I please return this item?
  • I bought this last week, and...
  • The problem is that...
  • I would like to get a refund.
  • Could you help me with this?