Swatch Stores Close Because of Big Crowds

May 16, 2026, 20:49
UKOther

Introduction

Swatch closed many stores on May 16. This happened because too many people wanted a new watch.

Main Body

Swatch and Audemars Piguet made a new watch. The watch costs about $400. But other people sell it for $16,000. Many people went to stores in London and New York to buy it. In the UK, stores in London and other cities closed. In London, too many people waited in line. The police came to help. They brought dogs to keep people back. In the US, Swatch closed about 19 stores. In Michigan, hundreds of people arrived at 4:30 a.m. Police helped the stores. The company wanted to keep the workers and customers safe.

Conclusion

The stores are still closed. Swatch says there are many watches, so people do not need to hurry.

Learning

πŸ•’ Talking About the Past

When we tell a story about something that already happened, we change the action word (verb). Look at these changes from the text:

  • Close β†’\rightarrow Closed
  • Happen β†’\rightarrow Happened
  • Want β†’\rightarrow Wanted
  • Go β†’\rightarrow Went (Special change!)
  • Come β†’\rightarrow Came (Special change!)

Quick Tip: Most words just need -ed at the end to move to the past. Some 'rebel' words change their whole shape, like go becoming went.

πŸ’° Numbers and Money

In English, we use symbols to talk about prices. We put the symbol before the number:

\400 β†’\rightarrow Four hundred dollars \16,000 β†’\rightarrow Sixteen thousand dollars

Notice: The comma (,) in 16,000 is just to help us read big numbers. It is not a decimal point!

Vocabulary Learning

watch (n.)
A small timepiece worn on the wrist to tell time.
Example:I bought a new watch yesterday.
closed (v.)
Not open; shut for a period of time.
Example:The store closed at 5 pm.
line (n.)
A row of people waiting for something.
Example:I stood in line for the coffee.
police (n.)
Officers who enforce the law and keep order.
Example:The police helped keep the crowd calm.
safe (adj.)
Protected from danger or harm.
Example:The workers were kept safe by the company.