Shopping can be a lot of fun, especially when you’re on vacation. However, sometimes you make a purchase that doesn’t work out. Getting a refund can be a tricky process, especially in your second language. In today’s episode, Andrew and Morag explain all the essential expressions and phrases you need to successfully return an item for a refund!

Fun fact

Montreal, Canada, is home to the world-famous Underground City, which is a series of tunnels that link together shopping malls, office buildings, residential buildings, convention halls, universities, and entertainment venues. The Underground City is made up of more than 32 km of tunnels and sees more than 500,000 people pass through it every winter day!

Expressions included in the learning materials

* To return/to take back

* Can I see your receipt?

* Can I ask why you want to return them?

* They don’t fit very well. They’re a little too baggy for my taste.

* Did you want to exchange them?

* I’ll need to issue the refund back to the credit card that you made the purchase with. Do you have

* that card on you?

For a complete transcript, click:

  

Sample transcript

Andrew:           Today we’re going to do a Real Talk episode. Real Talk is the series where we take a close look at expressions that are very important for everyday, real-life situations in an English-speaking country.

Morag:              That’s right. So in this episode, we are going to learn how to ask for a refund at a clothing store.

Andrew:           Sometimes you need to do this. Maybe a piece of clothing you purchased just doesn’t fit right, and you want to take it back. Or it’s defective. The zipper is broken or a button is loose.

Morag:              At some point or another, everybody has encountered this situation. OK, so today we are going to listen to a dialogue between a customer and a clothing store employee. The customer bought some clothes from the store last week but isn’t happy with them anymore, and is going to try to get a refund from the store today.

Andrew:           So let’s listen to the dialogue and, after it’s finished, we’ll take a close look at the vocabulary and expressions the customer and store employee use in this refund situation. Here’s the dialogue:

Store employee:       How can I help you today?

Customer:                  Um, yeah. So I bought these shirts here last week but I’m not happy with them, and I’d like to return them, please.

Store employee:       OK. No problem. Let’s see what I can do. Can I see your receipt?

Customer:                  Sure. Here you are.

Store employee:       So the shirts look fine. Can I ask why you want to return them?

Customer:                  Well, they don’t fit me very well. They’re a little too baggy for my taste.

Store employee:       OK. Did you just want to exchange them for a different size?

Customer:                  No, I’ll just take the refund, if that’s OK. Um, all the tags are still on the shirts. I didn’t wear them at all.

Store employee:       OK, yeah. No problem. I believe you. I’ll need to issue the refund back to the credit card that you made the purchase with. Do you have that card on you?

Customer:                  Yeah, yeah. It’s right here.

Store employee:       So the refund amount comes to $79.24.

Customer:                  OK, great. Thanks.

Store employee:       And here’s your receipt. Have a great day.

Customer:                  Thanks. You too.

Andrew:           In the dialogue,