shinyshine的部落格

　　If you were a shopaholic, you would not miss the period after Christmas in the U.K. Starting form the following day of Christmas, Boxing Day, the period of time in January provides desperate bargain hunters definite good chance to grab any possible cheap deals, ranging from outfits, household appliances, electrical gadgets, designer threads, to brand name items. It’s said that there are two reasons explaining why the word boxing is chosen to be named after the holiday. On the one hand, customers need to use plies of boxes for the packaging. On the other hand, the competition for items on sale is so fierce that shoppers have to contend with other competitors, using their fists, for what they are longing for. Believe it or not, seize the opportunity to hit the street or you will regret.

　　如果你是個購物狂，你絕對不能錯過英國聖誕節過後的這段時間。從聖誕節隔天的Boxing Day開始，這段時間提供給省錢達人絕佳的超值購物良機，從服飾、家電用品、電子商品、設計精品、到名牌商品等等。據說Boxing Day的名稱由來有兩個原因：就一方面而言，購物的人要用成堆的盒子打包買的東西。另一方面而言，對這些超值商品的競爭是如此激烈，以至於顧客們必須拳腳相向爭取他們期待購買的商品。信不信由你，不把握機會逛街你會後悔。

　　The on-sale items with slashed prices displayed in the shop windows and the shoppers spending countless hours lining up for them account for the frenzy of shopping during the time. The phenomenon that some hardy people even camp outside the shop raises few Taiwanese’s eyebrows. As some stores do in Taiwan, patrons who got early entrance into the shop will be rewarded with special discount: as much as 80 % percent! Judged by the individuals rushing in and out to buy more, the strategy seems to work universally.

　　櫥窗裡陳列的大打折商品，和花了無數時間排隊的顧客可以解釋這段時間英國人對購物的狂熱。有些吃苦耐勞的人甚至在店家外面露營，這種景象對台灣人而言也是司空見慣。就如同一些台灣店家也會做的，早進入商店的顧客會被給予至多到二折的特別折扣。從急著跑進跑出儘可能多買的人來看，這種策略的運用可是放諸四海而皆準的。

　　Driven by the appeal of cheap items, we planed another trip to the prestigious outlets in Portsmouth, where has been considered an ideal shopping paradise for some Taiwanese friends to do the purchasing. With crowds of people flocking over there, the shopping mall provided us the coziest place to patronize. The shoes exhibited in the Clarks demonstrated terrific qualities and amazing level of comfort, and the prices for them had been reduced to one-fourth of their original ones. The books on clearance in the Works for children and teenagers were worthwhile to pack our backpack. We even had to buy another new DIADORA carriage pack to load what we had bought that day, and the pack itself is a real bargain as well! The Burberry handbags and outfits are said to be the must-buys, but it is a shame that the Burberry outlet seems to offer nothing particular to meet our needs. All items on sale for this year had all sold out.

    　受到便宜貨的驅使，我們計畫另一趟到普茲茅斯暢貨中心的旅程，那裏已經被許多台灣同學視為理想的購物天堂。伴隨著成群結隊的逛街人潮，這個購物中心提供我們光顧的最舒適地點。在Clarks展示的鞋子品質超好又舒服，價錢減到原來的四分之一。在the Works裡清倉賣出的青少年兒童讀物適合拿來墊背包。我們甚至必須買一個DIADORA登機包來裝我們那天買的東西，而那個登機包本身就是物超所值的東西。人家都說Burberry暢貨中心裡的包包和服飾必買，但是似乎已經沒有甚麼可以值得買的便宜貨。所有年度特賣的商品已經賣光了。

　　In addition to hunting for bargains, the mall presented us a wonderful place refreshing your exhaustion arising from the restless shopping schedule. The Mariners, an all-you-can-eat restaurant, supplied us with various Chinese and Taiwanese cuisines and flavorsome snacks, even including fried dumplings and salted fried chicken! We were moved into tears because we missed such terrific Taiwanese food so much, and the charge per head for the meal is quite reasonable, especially after spending some and doing so much shopping. In reality, the shopping list seems go on and on and we can’t make it without being reinforced in strength!

　　除了搜尋特賣品，這個購物中心也提供我們一個絕佳的補充精神的地點，恢復我們因為忙著逛街行程而疲累不堪的身軀。樓上一家叫Mariners的吃到飽餐廳提供我們各式各樣的中式和台式的料理和點心，甚至有煎餃和鹽酥雞！我們感動到眼淚都要留下來，因為我們超懷念這些台灣料理，而每個人一餐的收費又蠻合理，尤其在荷包失血一番之後。事實上，要買的東西似乎越來越多，沒有補充精力一下是做不到了啦。

　　Don’t hesitate if you have been saving for the merry days in January. Be organized and enjoy the pleasure of hitting the shop. Everything is on the massive clearance and all must go!

　　如果你已經為了這個歡樂的花錢時光存好錢，就不要遲疑了。安排一下，享受一下購物樂趣吧。所有的東西都在清倉，機會難得呀！