Shopping Spree.
Often the term shopping spree is used in a derogatory sense, to comment on the excess spending of either individuals or companies. For example The Register on 15 December 2003 uses the headline, “Bored Teens Blow 80 m. in E-shopping Spree.” The article goes on to explain how three German teenagers managed to spend about 130 million euros (approximately 166 million US dollars (USD)) in slightly less than two hours, using stolen credit cards. Airplanes and works of art were among their purchases.
In this sense, the shopping spree obviously resulted in arrests and though it may have been carefree, it certainly could not be defined as pleasant. As well, this shopping spree was illegal.
A more traditional shopping spree might take place when someone needs to purchase many things at once, as for shopping for holidays. So for example, one might spend a couple hundred USD at a time buying gifts. People with extensive means might certainly spend a great deal more, and a shopping spree can become one that costs thousands of dollars.
On programs that detail the lives of celebrities, information is sometimes given about a celebrity shopping spree that results in tens of thousands of dollars being spent in a matter of minutes. For most people, such a shopping spree is well outside normal income limits. In fact, spending excessive amounts of money that one really doesn’t have is less a shopping spree and more the act of a compulsive shopper.
Where money and time are available a shopping spree to buy items that are not strictly necessary can be good fun. This has unfortunately been capitalized on by Internet and Telemarketing scammers. Internet sites may offer a shopping spree gift card worth several hundred dollars in exchange for a small payment, or personal information. The shopping spree card turns out to be worthless, or is never sent. Instead the person loses their money or has their identity, bank account or credit card numbers stolen.
These types of scams, especially the Wal-Mart shopping spree scam of 2006 resulted in people losing thousands of dollars drawn from their bank accounts. In 2006 the Federal Trade Commission was able to freeze accounts of many of the perpetrators, and accounts held by the scammers totaled in the tens of millions.
Because people enjoy the occasional shopping spree, these scams were readily practiced on a high number of people. Scammers capitalized on the consumer’s desire to shop carefree, and many are still trying to recoup their losses.
Before reading
1- The compound "shopping spree" spree has been coined recently to express a situation that is apparently new. Before, it was used in different contexts such as in "to go / to be on a spree". Find out the meaning with the help of a dictionary.
2- How would you translate the following headline ?
“Bored Teens Blow 80 m. in E-shopping Spree.”
3- What type of shopper are you? Prepare a short talk (about two minutes) and discuss it with your partner.
After reading.
1- Skim the text and write down all the words connected with MONEY. Guess their meaning from the context and share your guesses with your classmates.
2- Has the shopping spree had new consequencies with the extensive use of new technologies?
3- Have you ever been a victim of scamming? Do you know anybody who has been?
4- Use the text to disuss the matter in class.
In this sense, the shopping spree obviously resulted in arrests and though it may have been carefree, it certainly could not be defined as pleasant. As well, this shopping spree was illegal.
A more traditional shopping spree might take place when someone needs to purchase many things at once, as for shopping for holidays. So for example, one might spend a couple hundred USD at a time buying gifts. People with extensive means might certainly spend a great deal more, and a shopping spree can become one that costs thousands of dollars.
On programs that detail the lives of celebrities, information is sometimes given about a celebrity shopping spree that results in tens of thousands of dollars being spent in a matter of minutes. For most people, such a shopping spree is well outside normal income limits. In fact, spending excessive amounts of money that one really doesn’t have is less a shopping spree and more the act of a compulsive shopper.
Where money and time are available a shopping spree to buy items that are not strictly necessary can be good fun. This has unfortunately been capitalized on by Internet and Telemarketing scammers. Internet sites may offer a shopping spree gift card worth several hundred dollars in exchange for a small payment, or personal information. The shopping spree card turns out to be worthless, or is never sent. Instead the person loses their money or has their identity, bank account or credit card numbers stolen.
These types of scams, especially the Wal-Mart shopping spree scam of 2006 resulted in people losing thousands of dollars drawn from their bank accounts. In 2006 the Federal Trade Commission was able to freeze accounts of many of the perpetrators, and accounts held by the scammers totaled in the tens of millions.
Because people enjoy the occasional shopping spree, these scams were readily practiced on a high number of people. Scammers capitalized on the consumer’s desire to shop carefree, and many are still trying to recoup their losses.
Before reading
1- The compound "shopping spree" spree has been coined recently to express a situation that is apparently new. Before, it was used in different contexts such as in "to go / to be on a spree". Find out the meaning with the help of a dictionary.
2- How would you translate the following headline ?
“Bored Teens Blow 80 m. in E-shopping Spree.”
3- What type of shopper are you? Prepare a short talk (about two minutes) and discuss it with your partner.
After reading.
1- Skim the text and write down all the words connected with MONEY. Guess their meaning from the context and share your guesses with your classmates.
2- Has the shopping spree had new consequencies with the extensive use of new technologies?
3- Have you ever been a victim of scamming? Do you know anybody who has been?
4- Use the text to disuss the matter in class.
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