Shopping is an important part of today's society. Shoppers are important for a country's economy because they consume many of the goods that industries produce.

, in early civilizations, people the goods that they produced. Centuries ago, the introduction of bank notes and coins made it possible to money and buy other goods. The first shops sold food and home-made goods. In the Middle Ages, traditional emerged in small towns. Bakers, butchers, goldsmiths and others produced goods in their own workshops, which were often close to the place.

Today, goods are mass-produced in , then sold to wholesalers, who then sell them either directly to consumers or to retailers. These from small one-man stores to large chain stores or supermarkets.

In large cities stores offer everything from articles to special food. Each floor has a section, where you can buy a wide range of articles. In the last decades big shopping malls have been built on the outskirts of cities. They are popular that have turned into huge entertainment centres with all kinds of opportunities to spend your free time. On the other side, stores in city centres are losing more and more customers because they are hard to reach and there are is little parking .

In the last decade shopping on the Internet has increased . Online stores have mail-order catalogues for people who do not want to get into their car and drive to the nearest shopping mall. In addition, the goods are to your doorstep and you pay via credit card.