Retail Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Citations in the Category Retail

Shopping, department stores, factory outlets, malls, big box retailers, chain stores, mom and pop stores, bazaars, markets, bodegas, etc. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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on memo adv. phr. “Whether he was selling shoe laces or wine bottles or jewelry, you had that sense of credibility.” Mr. Esmerian, an early believer, gave Mr. Leighton jewelry “on memo,” or on consignment, to sell. [English Business Retail Jargon] [full cite] (Mar. 15, 2007)

on memo adv. phr. The purchase from the salesman is an exception in a business where buying goods on “memo” is the norm. Instead of taking merchandise on consignment, or memo, Friedman and his buyers bargain down the price, buy it outright and then pass some of the savings back to customers. [English Business Retail Jargon] [full cite] (Mar. 15, 2007)

oops paint n. Just for the record, that can of stain should have never been put on the shelf. It should have been “Oops’d” and put with all the Oops paint, marked down to like $1 or something. [English Retail Slang] [full cite] (Jul. 18, 2007)

oops paint n. I’ve had good luck finding the RL line at a discount on the “oops paint” shelves at Home Depot—apparently some folks think they want bright gold or metallic walls and then decide it looks too much like a Wild West whorehouse. [English Retail Slang] [full cite] (Jul. 18, 2007)

oops paint n. I wanted to do some interior painting, but a good can of paint or two is a little more than I could afford. I noticed what my paint dealer labeled as “oops” paint set to the side. It was paint that he made a mistake mixing. [English Retail Slang] [full cite] (Jul. 18, 2007)

philfing n. The growing practice of so-called “philfing” describes online stores holding back the real cost of “extras” until the last minute. Brian Trevaskiss, operations manager at MoreComputers.com, said: “Shopping online is without doubt quick and convenient. But this growing trend of ‘philfing’ is so annoying for consumers that they abandon their baskets and shop elsewhere.” [English Online Retail New or Nonce Acronym] [full cite] (Jun. 26, 2007)

retail jail n. In a recent story about Home Office plans to ease the burden on police by creating so-called “retail jails” in shopping centres, the phrase “custody suites” was used. I’ve heard of bridal suites, a three-piece suite even, but custody suites? I think most people associate the word suite with a certain amount of comfort, luxury even. Perhaps would-be criminals have also heard about these suites, and want to find out for themselves if they’re actually as nice as they sound. [English Crime & Prisons Retail Euphemism] [full cite] (Apr. 3, 2007)

shopdropping n. Otherwise known as reverse shoplifting, shopdropping involves surreptitiously putting things in stores, rather than illegally taking them out, and the motivations vary. [English Retail] [full cite] (Dec. 24, 2007)

shoppertainment n. Mills even coined a term for their new mega-malls that eventually spread across 21 states: “shoppertainment.” Shoppers were confronted by massive cinemas, indoor sports and a broad range of eating options. One mall in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., even rivaled Disney World for the number of annual visitors. [English Entertainment Retail] [full cite] (Jan. 12, 2007)

shrink in pink n. “Yoga was just beginning to take off and the only athletic clothing for women being made at the time was dumbed down men’s clothing,” Wilson, 52, explained, referring to what is called “shrink in pink” in the retail business. “We put together yoga-inspired athletic clothing for women that fit properly and injected some style into it.” [English Apparel, Appearance, & Fashion Retail] [full cite] (Sep. 10, 2007)

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