- Excuse me…how much is…?
- What does …. cost?
- How much is the tax?
- Is “this” on sale?
- What is the price after the discount?
- What’s the total?
- How much do I owe you?
- Do you take/accept cash? (OR credit card, debit, cheques)
- Is this new or used?
- May I try this on?
- Do you have “this” in…? (a different size: extra small, small, medium, large, extra large)
- Can you tell me where the … are? (apples, coats)
- Can I return this if I need to?
Your problems: Tell a clerk or salesperson
- I’m afraid, you gave me the wrong change. (incorrect money back after you make a purchase)
- It doesn’t fit.
- It’s the wrong size.
- I need to return this. OR I need to take this back.
- I lost my receipt. (paper that shows proof of purchase)
- Excuse me, I can’t find the … (ladies clothing, men’s wear, toy section)
Special Offers and Deals: Watch for these signs and ads
- Buy one get one free
- Buy one get 50% off your second item
- Buy now pay later
- Pay no money down (no down payment is required)
- Kids eat free (usually with the purchase of an adult meal)
- Senior’s discount (people 65 and older get a reduced price)
- All out-of season stock on sale (ex. summer clothing is on sale at the end of summer)
Restrictions: Watch for these Warnings (sometimes in small print)
- Deposit required (you must pay a small amount to hold the item)
- No delivery
- No exchanges or refunds (you can’t bring an item back if you decide you don’t like it)
- Exchange only (you can’t get money back; you can change for a different in-store item)
- No coupons on/during/after… (often on a certain day or at a certain time)
- Discount or coupon not valid with other special offers
- Expires … (date you can no longer use coupon or item)
Bonus Expressions to remember
- It’s okay to put something back on the shelf if the price is too high. The clerk might put it away for you. Smile and say, “Sorry, that’s more than I thought it would be.”
- It’s polite to have small talk with the cashier. If the price is great, smile and say, “That’s a good deal!”
Weight
"Weight" tells us how heavy something is (or how much it weighs). There are basically two systems in use in English-speaking countries.
Metric Weights
The metric system is used in many countries of the world.
| Abbreviation | British Equivalent | ||
| 1000 milligrams | 1 gram | g | 0.035 oz |
| 1000 grams | 1 kilogram | kg | 2.21 lb |
| 1000 kilograms | 1 tonne | t | 0.98 tons |
British/US Weights
The British and US systems are the same except where shown.
| Abbreviation | Metric Equivalent | |||
| 16 drams | 1 ounce | oz | 28.35 g | |
| 16 ounces | 1 pound | lb | 0.454 kg | |
| 14 pounds | 1 stone | st | 6.35 kg | |
| British | 8 stones | 1 hundredweight | cwt | 50.8 kg |
| 20 hundredweight | 1 ton | t | 1,016 kg | |
| US | 100 pounds | 1 (short) hundredweight | cwt | 45.36 kg |
| 2000 pounds | 1 (short) ton | t | 907.18 kg |
| market | |
| supermarket | |
| minimarket | |
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| to buy | |
| to go shopping | |
| to sell | |
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| store hours | |
| shopping cart | |
| trolley | |
| shopping basket | |
| bag | |
| scales | |
| freezer | |
| fridge | |
| aisle | |
| shelf | |
| rack | |
| product | |
| packaging | |
| barcode | |
| nutritional information | |
| on sale | |
| grand opening sale | |
| closeout sale | |
| price | |
| half price | |
| 20% off | |
| lift | |
| escalator | |
| warehouse | |
| customer | |
| supervisor | |
| manager | |
| sales assistant | |
| cashier | |
| check-out counter | |
| till | |
| express lane | |
| barcode reader | |
| credit card | |
| debit card | |
| cheque | |
| cash | |
| cash only | |
| banknote | |
| coin | |
| discount coupon | |
| change | |
| sales tax | |
| purchase | |
| delivery | |
| ticket | |
| receipt | |
| guarantee | |
| money-back guarantee | |
| refundable | |
| return policy | |
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| department | |
| bakery | |
| frozen food | |
| dairy products | |
| canned goods | |
| delicatessen | |
| pet supplies | |
| cosmetics | |
| electronics | |
| household goods | |
| sporting goods | |
| beverages | |
| fruit | |
| vegetables | |
| fish | |
| meat | |
| groceries | |
| chemist's (UK), drugstore (US) | |
| fresh flowers | |
