New Watches Cause Problems in Stores

May 16, 2026, 16:47
EuropeFinance

Introduction

Two watch companies, Swatch and Audemars Piguet, made new pocket watches. Many stores closed and prices went up quickly.

Main Body

Audemars Piguet usually sells very expensive watches. But these new watches cost between $400 and $420. Many people wanted to buy them. Swatch closed 17 stores in the USA. They closed stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Houston. Too many people waited in line. It was not safe. Some people bought the watches and sold them again. In Hong Kong, people sold them for much more money. Some watches cost seven times the original price.

Conclusion

You can still buy these watches in a few stores around the world.

Learning

💰 Talking about Money

In this story, we see how to describe prices and changes in cost. This is a key skill for A2 level.

1. Price Ranges When we have a start and an end price, we use between... and...

  • Example: "cost between 400∗∗and∗∗400 **and** 420"
  • Your turn to imagine: A t-shirt costs between 10and10 and 20.

2. Price Movement When things get more expensive, we say they went up.

  • Prices went up →\rightarrow They cost more now.

3. Multiplication (The 'Times' Rule) If something costs much more, we use times.

  • "Seven times the original price"
  • Original: 100100 \rightarrowNewprice:New price:700

Quick Vocabulary List:

  • Expensive: Costs a lot of money.
  • Original price: The first price in the store.

Vocabulary Learning

watch (n.)
a small device that tells the time
Example:I bought a new watch to keep track of time.
store (n.)
a shop where goods are sold
Example:She went to the store to buy groceries.
price (n.)
the amount of money that something costs
Example:The price of the watch was $400.
buy (v.)
to purchase something
Example:I want to buy a new watch.
sell (v.)
to give something to someone in exchange for money
Example:The shop sells many kinds of watches.
money (n.)
currency used for buying goods
Example:He saved enough money to buy a watch.
people (n.)
human beings
Example:Many people came to the store.
line (n.)
a queue of people waiting for something
Example:There was a long line at the store.
wait (v.)
to stay in place until something happens
Example:We had to wait in line for an hour.
closed (adj.)
not open for business
Example:The store was closed on Sunday.