Basic vocabulary about shopping.

BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH

Most of the vocabulary is common in BrE and AmE but some words change, for instance:

AmE cart = BrE trolley / shopping trolley

AmE store = BrE shop

Dollar store = One pound shop

AmE mall = BrE shopping centre

AmE check = BrE cheque

A strip mall (also called a shopping plaza, plaza or mini-mall) is a car-friendly shopping centre where the shops are all in one row with a big parking site in front of it. They are usually in motorway rest areas, not inside the cities. It's something very American, not a common thing in England.

A box store is an American kind of departament store where everything is in one single room and floor. It's a large shop that sells a lot of different types of goods including food, medicines, and often things such as washing machines. Wal*Mart is the most famous one.

A discount store is a type of department store, which sell products at prices lower than those asked by department stores and other traditional retail outlets. It's also mostly an American concept and, again, the most famous one is Wal*Mart. In the UK they are called "discount shops".

Changing rooms are also called fitting room.