Thunderbolt 4 to USB?

So I just bought my first new Mac in about 12 years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a Thunderbolt port before. All of my devices are USB-A, so I'm trying to find an adapter that will connect them to my new laptop, but I can't seem to find anything. I reached out to Apple Support, and they told me to buy this: USB-C to Lightning Cable (1 m) - Apple

When I pointed out that this was a Lightning Cable, not a Thunderbolt (also USB-C, not A...), they told me that the USB-C plugs into the laptop, and the Lightning plugs into my devices...I was pretty sure that was not right, but I checked it out just in case, and yeah, neither a USB-C nor a Lightning Cable first into the Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Hoping someone can help save me a trip into the Apple Store, as clearly the on-line support has no idea what they're talking about.