Neil: Hello and welcome to Six Minute English.
I'm Neil and joining me today is Dan -
who is weighed down with shopping bags and wearing
something very... strange. What's going on, Dan?
Dan: Well, I was feeling a bit miserable
so I decided to cheer myself up by going shopping!
Neil: Well that's lucky because the link between
shopping and mood is what we're looking at
in this 6 Minute English - and of course we'll be
giving you six mood and shopping-related
vocabulary items. But first, our quiz:
Online shoppers in which country spend more
per household than consumers in any other country,
according to a report from the UK Cards Association?
Is it a) The USA b) Norway c) The UK
Dan: Norway seems to come top of lots of lists,
so for that reason alone I'm going to say Norway.
Neil: We'll find out at the end of the show.
Now, Dan, you said just now that you went shopping
because you were feeling down.
Dan: That's right - I like a bit of retail therapy.
Neil: Retail therapy is a humorous expression which
means going shopping to make yourself feel better.
Dan: Oh I do that all the time.
Neil: Yes, I can see. And you're not alone.
According to some research done by the website
moneysupermarket.com, people are more likely to buy
things they'll later regret
when they're feeling sad, bored or stressed.
Dan: Well I was feeling a bit down in the dumps.
And that's a way of saying 'sad'.
Neil: Oh dear, Dan. Sorry to hear you've been down
in the dumps. I only hope you don't get a pang of regret
about your purchases when you get them home -
the research suggests that you will.
Dan: A pang is a sharp pain. We often hear it used
figuratively to talk about strong emotions like guilt,
regret and remorse. You're making me feel worse, Neil
Neil: Sorry Dan - it's all for educational purposes!
Our audience will learn from your pain!
Remorse is like regret - and there's a good expression
to describe exactly that bad feeling you get
when you realise you don't really need or want
the things that you've bought. Buyer's remorse.
Dan: OK, OK, OK enough about me. Let's hear from Sam,
Phil and Catherine from the Learning English team
to see if their mood affects the shopping choices
they make. Listen carefully. Can you hear the three
types of things they say that they buy
when they're down in the dumps?
Sam: Honestly, I tend to buy food.
Anything that will bring me comfort,
so it can be any sort of warm drink,
hot drink but also anything kind of warm and cosy -
so like a nice jumper.
Phil: Definitely, if I've had a bad day at work,
or for whatever reason or I feel terrible,
tired, I am more likely to buy something
on the way home.
Catherine: Oh when I'm feeling sad, I probably buy
a little bit of wine and often something to wear.
I find that a bit of retail therapy when I'm sad
usually does the trick at the time,
so it makes me feel better. But I do find
that when I look in my wardrobe,
the things that I bought when I was sad -
I never wear them.
Neil: Sam, Phil and Catherine there from the BBC
Learning English team talking about what kind of
things they buy when they're feeling down.
What were they?
Dan: Food, drink and clothes.
Neil: That's right. Sam mentioned she buys food,
warm drinks and a nice jumper
to keep her cosy.
That's the feeling of being warm,
comfortable and relaxed.
Dan: Catherine also mentioned drinks -
this time wine. And she also said that buying clothes
does the trick. That means achieves the result
she intended.
Neil: But what's interesting is that Catherine said
she never wears the clothes she buys
when she's feeling sad.
That's exactly what the survey found -
people regret the purchases
they make when they're sad, bored or stressed.
Dan: Sounds like a case of buyer's remorse.
Neil: It does indeed. Well, time now for the answer
to our quiz question. I asked this:
Online shoppers in which country spend more
per household than consumers in any other country,
according to a report from the UK Cards Association?
Is it: a) The USA b) Norway c) The UK
Dan: I said b) Norway.
Neil: And I'm afraid you might need to go and buy some
more stuff to cheer you up - you're wrong!
The correct answer is the UK.
Apparently UK households spent the equivalent
of £4,611, that's almost $6,000
using payment cards online in 2015.
Dan: Well, I hope they were happy when they made
those purchases or they may feel the pang of regret
I'm scared I might get after today's discussion!
Neil: Well, a good recap of the vocabulary
from this programme might do the trick.
Dan: Shall we start with the first word?
Do you ever go in for a bit of retail therapy, Neil?
Neil: Actually I try to avoid it. Especially after reading
this survey - I don't think the happiness you feel
after buying something lasts very long. In fact,
you can end up feeling down in the dumps.
Dan: Yes down in the dumps - meaning sad or unhappy.
And a pang of regret might follow once you realise
you've spent a lot of money on something
you don't really need.
Neil: A pang is a stab - used here figuratively
to mean a sharp pain used to talk about strong
emotions. And after that pang
can come buyer's remorse.
Dan: Hmm, I'm beginning to feel buyer's remorse
from this leopard skin onesie. It seemed like
such a good idea at the time.
Neil: Well it does look cozy at least, that's warm
comfortable and relaxed, so I think if that's
what you wanted, it does the trick.
Dan: Does the trick, meaning achieves
the result you wanted.
Neil: Please remember to check out our Facebook,
Twitter, and YouTube pages.
Dan/Neil: Bye!