Shopping: English Vocabulary List

an agreement to buy or sell goods or assets at a predetermined price but delivered and paid for at a later time

"He bought a futures contract."

"Traders use futures contracts to manage price risks."

a limited-time discount or promotion that allows merchants to sell a large number of products at a significant discount

"Get the deal-of-the-day now."

"The website promotes a new deal-of-the-day every morning."

the amount added to the price of something to cover overheads and profit

"The markup was high."

"Retailers often apply a significant markup to their goods to ensure profitability and cover operational expenses."

a less expensive and unauthorized copy of something popular

"The market sold cheap knockoff designer bags"

"The bag is clearly a cheap knockoff of a famous brand."

a card given by a business to customers as a reward for their repeat purchases, which can be used to earn discounts on future purchases

"Use your loyalty card."

"Customers earn points with every purchase using a loyalty card."

a purchasing contract by which a retailer agrees to hold merchandise secured by a deposit until the price is paid in full by the customer

"She bought it on layaway."

"Layaway allows paying in installments before taking the item."

the date until which a product is expected to remain at its optimal quality, but it may still be consumed after this date

"Check the best-before date."

"The best-before date on milk is next week."

a type of retail model where customers pay for goods upfront and transport them from the store themselves

"It is cash and carry."

"The cash and carry store sells in bulk."

a retail service where customers order products online and pick them up in-store or at a specified location

"Use click and collect."

"Click and collect saves time for busy shoppers."

to demand a lower price than one's rivals

"They undercut the price."

"The new company tried to undercut its competitors by offering significantly lower prices for similar products."

to spend a lot of money on something trivial that one does not really need

"She splurged on a new handbag."

"She decided to splurge on an expensive handbag as a reward for completing her difficult project successfully."

to negotiate, typically over the price of goods or services

"Haggle over the price at the market."

"The tourist tried to haggle with the street vendor to get a better price for the handmade necklace."

to offer a higher price than someone else especially in an auction

"He outbid everyone at the auction."

"The wealthy collector managed to outbid all his rivals for the rare painting at the auction."

to cheat someone by giving back less money than owed

"The cashier shortchanged me by five dollars."

"The dishonest cashier tried to shortchange the customer by giving her less money than she was owed."

a situation where a product is temporarily out of stock but can be ordered for future delivery

"The book is back order."

"The item is currently on back order and will ship next week."

a sales promotion where customers receive an additional product at no extra cost when purchasing one

"Buy one, get BOGOF."

"The supermarket offers a BOGOF deal on all cereal boxes this week."

the strategies and measures implemented to minimize theft, shrinkage, or losses within a retail or business environment

"Retail loss prevention strategies work."

"Effective retail loss prevention measures help businesses minimize theft and shrinkage."

the act of shopping to improve one's mood or alleviate stress

"Shopping is retail therapy."

"Many people engage in retail therapy to temporarily relieve stress and boost their mood after a difficult day."

the practice of visiting a physical store to examine a product before purchasing it online, often at a lower price

"Showrooming happens often."

"Showrooming is a growing concern for brick-and-mortar stores as customers compare prices online after seeing items in person."

the process of managing the return, disposal, or redistribution of products and materials back through the supply chain

"Reverse logistics handles returns."

"Effective reverse logistics ensures that returned products are efficiently processed, repaired, or disposed of properly."

the widespread closure of physical retail stores, often due to shifts in consumer behavior toward online shopping

"Retail apocalypse is real."

"The retail apocalypse has led to numerous store closures as consumers increasingly opt for online shopping convenience over physical stores."

a unique alphanumeric code assigned to each distinct product or item in a retailer's inventory for tracking and management purposes

"SKU tracks each item."

"Every unique item in the store is assigned a specific stock keeping unit for precise inventory management and sales tracking."

the use of data analysis and insights to optimize retail operations, improve sales performance, and enhance customer experiences

"Retail analytics improve sales."

"By analyzing customer data, retail analytics helps businesses optimize inventory, personalize promotions, and improve overall shopping experiences."

a piece of paper or a disc of metal or plastic used instead of money as a form of payment or to operate some machines

"Use this token."

"Insert a token into the machine to start the washing cycle."