#ESL Podcast 224 – Holiday Promotions

##GLOSSARY

**to come up with (something) –** to think of something, usually a new idea or a

solution to a problem

*How did you come up with that idea? I’ve never heard anything like it before.

**holiday promotion –** activities to increase sales during the holiday season,

usually in November and December

*The store’s holiday promotions are incredible! They sell everything at 30% off

of its regular price.

**inroad –** progress; advancement

*Japanese car companies rapidly made inroads into the U.S. automobile

industry.

**gift-buying market –** the economic market of people (group of buyers) who buy

presents

*Was there an increase in the gift-buying market during February for Valentine’s

Day?

**retail sales –** sales of small number of products to individual buyers (not to other

businesses)

*Because it was extremely hot last August, retail sales of air conditioners

increased significantly that summer.

**sales cycle –** the same time of year when there are very high or low sales

*Most types of products have predictable sales cycles. For example, sales of

school supplies and children’s clothing are highest right before the school year

begins.

**innovative –** new and creative; original

*Everyone admires her innovative ideas for making this a better team this year.

**brick-and-mortar store –** a business that serves customers in a real store, not

through a website

*My mother likes to see and touch what she’s buying, so she prefers shopping at

brick-and-mortar stores.

**computer savvy –** knowledgeable about computers

*Today, children are often more computer savvy than their parents are.

**more likely than ever –** more likely now than anytime before; more probable

than before

*Harold’s boss yelled at him yesterday in front of all of the other employees, and

now it’s more likely than ever that he’ll quit his job.

**to capitalize on –** to take advantage of, to profit from

*The team capitalized on its early lead and won the game by more than

points.

**to slash prices –** to greatly reduce prices, usually during a sale

*When one company slashes prices, many competing companies feel pressured

to do the same because they fear losing their customers.

**inventory –** a complete list of what is in a place, such as the products a store

has available for sale

*We are closing our ...