What are shops? — how buying works

🏪What is a shop?

A shop is a place that sells things to people who want to buy them.

You probably go to lots of different shops:

• The supermarket where you get food
• The newsagent where you might buy a comic or sweets
• The clothes shop where you got your shoes
• The bookshop where you might find a story you like
• The toy shop on a special day

Some shops are tiny. Some are huge. Some are in a building, some are online (a website is a shop too).

👋Who is the shopkeeper?

The shopkeeper is the person who works in the shop. Their job is to:

• Help you find what you want
• Tell you the price
• Take the money you give them
• Give you back what you bought
• Sometimes give you change

In big supermarkets there are lots of shopkeepers — some on the tills, some stacking shelves, some helping at the deli or the bakery. They're all doing the same job: helping shoppers buy things.

The shopkeeper doesn't own the shop usually. They work for the person or company that owns the shop. The owner pays them a wage for doing the job.

💰What is change?

Most things cost a number that isn't a round amount.

A comic might cost £3.50.

You hand the shopkeeper a £5 note.

That's more than the comic costs. So the shopkeeper gives some money back. That's called change.

The shopkeeper might give you a £1 coin and a 50p coin. That's £1.50. That's right.

Or they might give you three 50p coins. That's also £1.50. That's also right.

There are lots of ways to make the same total. As long as it adds up to the change you're owed, it's correct.

🛒Different kinds of shops

Most UK shops fit into a few groups:

• Supermarkets — Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose. They sell food and lots of other things.
• Corner shops / newsagents — small local shops for sweets, papers, milk, bread.
• Clothes shops — for jumpers, shoes, school uniform.
• Toy shops — like Smyths, The Entertainer, or smaller ones.
• Bookshops — Waterstones, WHSmith, or local ones.
• Restaurants and cafes — you "buy" food but you usually eat it there.
• Online shops — you buy with a phone or computer, and the things arrive in the post.

All of them work the same way: you pay, they give you what you bought.

🎯Try this at the shop

NCFor teachers: curriculum links

• England — Maths Y1/Y2 Money (making change, finding totals)
• England — PSHE Association KS1 L7 (introducing money), L8 (saving and spending)
• Wales — Curriculum for Wales Progression Step 1-2 (Maths & Numeracy, HWB)
• Scotland — Curriculum for Excellence MNU 1-09a (money basics)
• NI — Mathematics KS1, PDMU KS1

Full mapping in the curriculum map.