acceptor

acceptors (plural)
acceptour (alternative obsolete rare)

From Middle English acceptour, from Latin acceptor, with the meanings from accept.

(law, commerce) One who accepts a draft or a bill of exchange; a drawee after he has accepted.


accommodation

en-noun

accommodation (countable and uncountable, plural accommodations)

accommodations (plural)
accomodation (alternative misspelling)

/əˌkɔm.əˈdæɪ.ʃən/

From French accommodation, from Latin accommodātiō (“adjustment, accommodation, compliance”), from accommodō (“adapt, put in order”). Superficially accommodate + -ion. The sense of "lodging" was first attested in 1600.

der

(personal) Adaptation or adjustment.
(countable, commerce) A loan of money.

Adaptation or adjustment.
A loan of money.

(countable, commerce) An accommodation bill or note.

Adaptation or adjustment.
An accommodation bill or note.


fresh

en-verb

fresh (third-person singular simple present freshes, present participle freshing, simple past and past participle freshed)

freshes (present singular third-person)
freshing (participle present)
freshed (participle past)
freshed (past)

Grandwizard Theodore & the Fantastic Five

From Middle English fressh, from Old English fersċ (“fresh, pure, sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *frisk (“fresh”), from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”), from Proto-Indo-European *preysk- (“fresh”). The verb is from Middle English freshen (“to freshen”), from the adjective.
Cognate with Scots fresch (“fresh”), West Frisian farsk (“fresh”), Dutch vers (“fresh”), Walloon frexh (“fresh”), German frisch (“fresh”), French frais (“fresh”), Norwegian and Danish frisk (“fresh”), fersk, Icelandic ferskur (“fresh”), Lithuanian prėskas (“unflavoured, tasteless, fresh”), Russian пре́сный (présnyj, “sweet, fresh, unleavened, tasteless”). Doublet of fresco and frisk.
Slang sense possibly shortened form of “fresh out the pack”, 1980s routine by Grand Wizzard Theodore.

cog

With the exception of about 1800 crans which were "rough packed," all the herrings landed during the winter months were freshed and kippered.

1921, Commonwealth Shipping Committee, Report - Volume 12:

Aided by government propaganda, herring became an important British war-time food, not pickled, but 'freshed' (packed loosely in ice) and kippered.

1960, Nigel Nicolson, Lord of the Isles: Lord Leverhulme of the Hebrides, page 84:

Smoked abalone is prepared by smoking the salted and freshed abalone, the smoked meat is packed with vegetable oil.

1971, Eiichi Tanikawa, Marine Products in Japan: Size, Technology and Research, page 189:

(commercial fishing) To pack (fish) loosely on ice.


QR

en-noun

QR (countable and uncountable, plural QRs)

A QR code is a kind of two-dimensional barcode.

QR manufacturing fits with ECR logistics.

New insights into bee movements and life cycles have been uncovered after researchers tracked the insects using tiny QR codes glued onto their backs.

2025 January 28, Jack Guy, “Tiny QR codes help scientists track bee movements”, in CNN:

(marketing, retail, logistics, manufacturing) Initialism of quick response.

Initialism of quick response.
Ellipsis of QR code.


face

en-verb

face (third-person singular simple present faces, present participle facing, simple past and past participle faced)

faces (present singular third-person)
facing (participle present)
faced (participle past)
faced (past)

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-?
Latin faciēs
Late Latin facia
Old French facebor.
Middle English face
English face
From Middle English face, from Old French face, from Late Latin facia, from Latin faciēs (“form, appearance”). Doublet of facies. Displaced native onlete (“face, countenance, appearance”), anleth (“face”), from Old English anwlite, andwlita, compare German Antlitz; Old English ansīen (“face”), Middle English neb (“face, nose”) (from Old English nebb), Middle English ler, leor, leer (“face, cheek, countenance”) (from Old English hlēor), and non-native Middle English vis (“face, appearance, look”) (from Old French vis) and Middle English chere (“face”) from Old French chere.
In the sense of face as in reputation, influenced by Chinese 面子 (miànzi) or 臉／脸 (liǎn), both of which mean literally the front of the head and metaphorically one's public image. See lose face.

noncog

I've put out the stock and broken down the boxes, it's just facing left to do.

In my first job, I learned how to operate a till and to face the store to high standards.

(transitive, retail) To improve the display of stock by ensuring items aren't upside down or back to front and are pulled forwards.


unit

Formerly unite, a later form of unity; see unity.

We shipped nearly twice as many units this month as last month.

(commerce) An item which may be sold singly.

(retail) A structure used to display goods for sale (usually containing shelves, pegs or hooks)


drive

en-noun

drive (countable and uncountable, plural drives)

[d̠ɹ̠ ̝ʷaɪv]

From Middle English driven, from Old English drīfan (“to drive, force, move”), from Proto-West Germanic *drīban, from Proto-Germanic *drībaną (“to drive”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots drive (“to drive”), North Frisian driwe (“to drive”), Saterland Frisian drieuwe (“to drive”), West Frisian driuwe (“to chase, drive, impel”), Dutch drijven (“to drive”), Low German drieven (“to drive, drift, push”), German treiben (“to drive, push, propel”), Norwegian Bokmål drive, Danish drive (“to drive, run, force”), Norwegian Nynorsk driva, Swedish driva (“to drive, power, drift, push, force”), Icelandic drífa (“to drive, hurry, rush”).

cog

vaccination drive

(retail) A campaign aimed at selling more of a certain product or promoting a public service.


factor

en-verb

factor (third-person singular simple present factors, present participle factoring, simple past and past participle factored)

factors (present singular third-person)
factoring (participle present)
factored (participle past)
factored (past)
factour (alternative archaic)

From Middle French facteur, from Latin factor (“a doer, maker, performer”), from factus (“done or made”), perfect passive participle of faciō (“do, make”).

uder

(commercial, transitive) To sell a debt or debts to an agent (the factor) to collect.


self

selves (alternative)
selfe (alternative obsolete)
silf (alternative obsolete)
silfe (alternative obsolete)

Southern US, African-American Vernacular, dated

From Middle English self, silf, sulf, from Old English self, seolf, sylf, from Proto-Germanic *selbaz. Cognates include Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌱𐌰 (silba), German selbst and Dutch zelf.

I made out a cheque, payable to self, which cheered me up somewhat.


flat

en-adj

flat (comparative flatter, superlative flattest)

flatter (comparative)
flattest (superlative)
flatt (alternative obsolete)
flatte (alternative obsolete)

bumpy

antonym(s) of “having no variations in altitude”

→ Portuguese: flat

From Middle English flat, a borrowing from Old Norse flatr (compare Norwegian and Swedish flat, Danish flad), from Proto-Germanic *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat”); akin to Saterland Frisian flot (“smooth”), German Flöz (“a geological layer”), Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), Latvian plats, Sanskrit प्रथस् (prathas, “extension”). Doublet of plat and pleyt.
The noun is from Middle English flat (“level piece of ground, flat edge of a weapon”), from the adjective.
The algebraic sense was coined by Serre in a 1956 paper, originally as French plat.

inh

a flat fee

flat rates

a flat fare on public transport

Without variation in level, quantity, value, tone etc.

(not comparable, commerce) Of fees, fares etc., fixed; unvarying.


float

en-verb

float (third-person singular simple present floats, present participle floating, simple past and past participle floated)

floats (present singular third-person)
floating (participle present)
floated (participle past)
floated (past)

From Middle English floten, from Old English flotian (“to float”), from Proto-West Germanic *flotōn, from Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewd-, *plew- (“to float, swim, fly”). Compare flow, fleet.

You can't just close the drawer, log in to the till and start serving customers, telling them you're only taking card payments and that they should gonto another till if they're paying in cash. The till needs to be floated first, so ask the manager on the headset if you can use it and she'll float it and let you know when you can start serving.

(transitive, retail) To prepare a till (cash register) for operation, either by putting a float (cash amount) in the cash drawer to provide change for customers making cash payments or (by extension) by recording the time a till starts being used for card payments if it is card-only


shock

shocks (plural)
choque (alternative obsolete)

shark (non-rhotic, father-bother merger)

(commerce, dated) A lot consisting of sixty pieces; a term applied in some Baltic ports to loose goods.


quote

quote (third-person singular simple present quotes, present participle quoting, simple past and past participle quoted)

quotes (present singular third-person)
quoting (participle present)
quoted (participle past)
quoted (past)

From Middle English quoten, coten (“to mark (a book) with chapter numbers or marginal references”), from Old French coter, from Medieval Latin quotāre (“to distinguish by numbers, number chapters”), itself from Latin quotus (“which, what number (in sequence)”), from quot (“how many”) and related to quis (“who”). The sense developed via “to give as a reference, to cite as an authority” to “to copy out exact words” (since 1680); the business sense “to state the price of a commodity” (1866) revives the etymological meaning. The noun, in the sense of “quotation,” is attested from 1885; see also usage note, below.

der

(commerce, transitive) To name the current price, notably of a financial security.


buyer

The supermarket's new buyer decided to stock a larger range of vegetarian foods.

(retailing) A person who purchases items for resale in a retail establishment.


series

en-noun

series (plural series or (obsolete) serieses)

series (plural)
serieses (obsolete plural)

→ Japanese: シリーズ (shirīzu)

→ Korean: 시리즈 (sirijeu)

→ Burmese: စီးရီး (ci:ri:)

Attested from the 1610s; borrowed from Latin seriēs, from serere (“to join together, bind”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind, put together, to line up”). Related to desert, insert, sermon, and sorcerer.

مُتَسَلْسِلَة

in analysis: sum of the terms of a sequence

(commerce) A parcel of rough diamonds of assorted qualities.


keystone

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-keystone.wav

From key + stone.
Definition 4 (retail) possibly originated in the jewelry industry in the magazine called "Jewelers' Circular-Keystone".

(retail) A retail price that is double the cost price; a markup of 100%.


keystone

en-verb

keystone (third-person singular simple present keystones, present participle keystoning, simple past and past participle keystoned)

keystones (present singular third-person)
keystoning (participle present)
keystoned (participle past)
keystoned (past)

(transitive, retail) To double the cost price in order to determine the retail price; to apply a markup of 100%.


spot

From Middle English spot, spotte, partially from Middle Dutch spotte (“spot, speck”), and partially merging with Middle English splot, from Old English splott (“spot, plot of land”), from Proto-West Germanic *splott, from Proto-Germanic *spluttaz (“segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *splt-no- (“an off-split, segment”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to split”). Cognate with North Frisian spot (“speck, piece of ground”), Low German spot (“speck”), Old Norse spotti (“small piece”). See also splot, splotch.

cog

spot wheat

spot cash

a spot contract

(commerce, finance) Available on the spot; for immediate payment or delivery.


allowance

en-noun

allowance (countable and uncountable, plural allowances)

allowances (plural)
allowaunce (alternative obsolete)

→ Cebuano: alawans

→ Malay: élaun

From Middle English allouance, from Old French alouance.
Morphologically allow + -ance.

Minus the allowance, the total came to thirteen tons.

(commerce) A deduction from the gross weight of goods, such as to discount their container's weight or per a custom differing by country.

отстъпка

a customary deduction from the gross weight of goods


remainder

remainders (plural)
remainer (alternative)

dearth

antonym(s) of “a part or parts remaining”

From Middle English remaindre, remeigner, from Anglo-Norman remaindre, with infinitive used as noun.

մնացորդ

mathematics: amount left over after repeatedly subtracting the divisor

I got a really good price on this shirt because it was a remainder.

(commerce) Excess stock items left unsold and subject to reduction in price.


remainder

en-verb

remainder (third-person singular simple present remainders, present participle remaindering, simple past and past participle remaindered)

remainders (present singular third-person)
remaindering (participle present)
remaindered (participle past)
remaindered (past)
remainer (alternative)

The bookstore remaindered the unsold copies of that book at the end of summer.

(transitive, commerce) To mark or declare items left unsold as subject to reduction in price.


caveat emptor

Latin for “buyer beware”; from Latin caveat (“may he / she / subject-noun beware”), the third-person subjunctive of caveō (“I beware”) + ēmptor (“buyer”).

uder

(historical, commercial law) A provision of Roman law which gave the seller of a house the legal right to keep quiet about any defects of the house.


express

en-adj

express (comparative more express, superlative most express)

more express (comparative)
most express (superlative)

From French exprès, from Latin expressus, past participle of exprimere (see Etymology 2, below).

Tesco Express

McDonald's Express

(postpositive, retail) Providing a more limited but presumably faster service than a full or complete dealer of the same kind or type.


PSP

en-noun

PSP (countable and uncountable, plural PSPs)

The seller reassured me that I’d have the chance to “QC” (quality-check) the “PSPs” (pre-shipment photos).

2023 May 4, Amy X. Wang, Grant Cornett, “Inside the Delirious Rise of ‘Superfake’ Handbags”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(online retail) Initialism of pre-shipment photo.


forward

restrained

antonym(s) of “without customary restraint”

From Middle English foreward, from Old English foreweard (“forward, inclined to the front, fore, early, former”), from Proto-Germanic *fura- (“fore-”), *warþaz (“turned”), equivalent to fore + -ward. Cognate with Dutch voorwaarts (“forward”), German vorwärts (“forward”).

der

foreward (alternative)
forrard (alternative)
forrad (alternative)
forred (alternative)

The stock price is currently 12 times forward earnings.

The price for forward delivery is presently higher than the spot price.

(finance, commerce) Expected or scheduled to take place in the future.


income

en-noun

income (countable and uncountable, plural incomes)

→ Irish: ioncam

→ Welsh: incwm

From Middle English income, perhaps continuing (in altered form) Old English incyme (“an in-coming, entrance”), equivalent to in- + come. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Íenkúumen (“income”), West Frisian ynkommen (“income”), Dutch inkomen, inkomst (“income, earnings, gainings”), German Low German Inkumst (“income”), German Einkommen, Einkunft (“income, earnings, competence”), Danish indkomst (“income”), Swedish inkomst (“income”), Icelandic innkváma (“income”).

inh

(business, commerce) Money coming in to a fund, account, or policy.


parasite

/ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/

/ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/

/ˈpɛɹəˌsaɪt/

From Middle French parasite, from Latin parasitus, from Ancient Greek παράσιτος (parásitos, “person who eats at the table of another”), from noun use of adjective meaning "feeding beside", from παρά (pará, “beside”) + σῖτος (sîtos, “food”).

parasiet

(biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism

parasite display

parasite stand

parasite unit

(retail, used attributively) An isolated (FSDU) (freestanding display unit )


spiff

en-noun

spiff (countable and uncountable, plural spiffs)

Unknown. See etymology discussion at spiffy.

The strongly-recommended piece of cloth was, in the conventional language of the drapery trade, a “spiff” in other words, a remnant of an old stock which had been lying by unsold for three or four years, perhaps longer, and had faded through keeping, like other beautiful things, thereby decreasing in value.

1860 July 7, W.A.C.C., “A yard of ‘stuff’”, in The Players, page 3:

The premium takes the form of a commission on goods sold. In some places it is a small premium, or in trade parlance a “spiff” on certain articles, and on others on the amount of sales.

1893, Royal Commission on Labor, The Employment of Women, page 313:

(countable, commerce, slang) A bonus or other remuneration, given for reaching a sales goal or promoting the goods of a particular manufacturer. Originally from textile retailing, a percentage given for selling off surplus or out-of-fashion stock, of which the sales person could offer part as a discount to a customer.


spiff

en-verb

spiff (third-person singular simple present spiffs, present participle spiffing, simple past and past participle spiffed)

spiffs (present singular third-person)
spiffing (participle present)
spiffed (participle past)
spiffed (past)

It is my confirmed belief that, spiffed or not, the salesman is the consumer's best-qualified and best- informed source of assistance in matters of component selection.

1968, The Stereophile - Issue 2, page 26:

The flight to Baton Rouge was ten dollars more. He said not to worry about it. I spiffed the guy twenty bucks and ended up in Baton Rouge a day earlier than I had expected.

2004, Robin Yocum, Dead before Deadline, page 266:

The company made more money, and so did the salesperson who was spiffed on the sale and he was selling a product that most people don't buy.

2009, Dave Lakhani, How To Sell When Nobody's Buying:

(transitive, commerce, slang) To reward (a salesperson) with a spiff or bonus.

It wasn't my fault if the blamed old store caught fire and gave me a chance to help Ferguson move out some of the stuff that has been 'spiffed' till it looks like red ink had been spilled all over the price-tags.

1906, The American Magazine - Volume 62, page 497:

Because you can pull out a spiff anywhere you are in the store and the customers are not aware that they are spiffed shoes.

1919, Boot and Shoe Recorder - Volumes 74-75, page 59:

(transitive, commerce, slang) To attach a spiff or bonus to the selling of (a product)


CVS

The high-output glow of the CVS across the highway blunted into gauzy white by the moisture in the air.

2023, Brandon Taylor, The Late Americans, Jonathan Cape, page 27:

The recall said that the distributors — Walmart, CVS and AACE Pharmaceuticals — will be arranging the return of all the affected products.

2024 February 28, Ramishah Maruf, “Popular eye ointments may not be sterile, recall warns”, in CNN:

Most large PBMs operate their own mail-order and specialty pharmacies, but CVS is the only major PBM that owns its own retail pharmacy, according to the Brookings Institution.

2024 December 11, Andrew Stanton, “Senators Turn Screws on Health Care Industry as CEO Shooting Fuels Scrutiny”, in Newsweek:

(retail) Initialism of Consumer Value Stores, a US pharmacy chain.


FOC

final order cutoff
final order cutoff#English

(publishing, retailing) Initialism of final order cutoff.


outer

From Middle English outre, outer, outter, uttre, from Old English ūtre, ūtera, ūterra (“outer”), equivalent to out + -er. Compare German äußere (“outer”), Danish ydre (“outer”), Swedish yttre (“outer”), Icelandic ytri (“outer”). Piecewise doublet of utter.

We ordered two cartons with twelve outers in each.

(retail) The smallest single unit sold by wholesalers to retailers, usually one retail display box.


stackable

With a 10% stackable coupon I can get my cost down to ∼$625 shipped, taxed for the 15" DVI LCD […]

2003, Geoffrey Litwack, Geoffrey Litwack 2002 Annual, page 461:

(retail, colloquial, of a coupon or similar offer) Capable of being combined with others on a single purchase.


POA

(commerce) Initialism of price on application.


POS

en-noun

POS (countable and uncountable, plural POSes or POSs)

point of service
point of service#English

(retail) Initialism of point of sale or point of service.


Black Friday

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Black Friday.wav

From black (“bad; ill-omened; marked by disaster”). Friday is an ill-omened day according to ancient superstition, so a Friday that was darkened by another ill-omen (such as being the 13th) or an actual disaster became known as "Black Friday". Philadelphia police applied the term to the day after Thanksgiving because the large number of people out shopping made traffic chaotic. Later, PR efforts purposely invented the incorrect, more positive "etymology" (which is a very popular urban legend and false etymology that was even in Wiktionary from 2008 to 2015) that the name was given because this day is supposedly the first day of the year on which retailers typically posted profits ('in the black') rather than losses ('in the red').

Coordinate term: Cyber Monday

en:day after US Thanksgiving, a busy shopping day

(US, Canada, UK, business, retailing) The day after US Thanksgiving Day, generally regarded as the first day of the Christmas season, and the busiest shopping day of the year. Observed in the US, Canada, and more recently to an extent, the UK.


LRA

(business, commerce) Initialism of last rate available.


closeout

The Administration’s request of $12 million will allow TDA to conduct an orderly closeout of the agency beginning in 2018, which includes sufficient funding for personnel, rent, program, and other closeout costs.

2017 May 23, Gregory Krieg and Will Mullery, “Trump’s budget by the numbers: What gets cut and why”, in CNN:

(retail) A sale in which all merchandise is sold, at whatever reduced price is necessary; especially, such a sale for the purpose of either dispensing with a discontinued product line or preparing to close down the store.

разпродажба

retail: sale in which all merchandise is sold


third party

third parties (plural)
3rd party (alternative)
3d party (alternative)

A seller may employ a third party to perform specific services to augment the value of a product, such as packing and distribution.

(business, commerce) Someone not directly involved in a transaction; an entity beyond the seller (first party) and customer (second party).

第三方

someone not directly involved in a transaction


generic name

Its generic name is flying disc, but you may know it better by the proprietary name Frisbee. The generic name frisbee (lowercase) is used informally but not officially or legally.

en:nonproprietary name of a product or service

(commerce) A similar nonproprietary name for any other product or service, denoting any member of the category.


distribution lot

distribution lot (plural distribution lots)

(retail) A case pack; the number of items in a case or number of cases on a palette. Abbreviation: DL.


clearance

clearance (countable and uncountable, plural clearances)

(retail) A sale of merchandise, especially at significantly reduced prices, usually in order to make room for new merchandise or updated versions of the same merchandise; sometimes as a closeout.


liquidate

en-verb

liquidate (third-person singular simple present liquidates, present participle liquidating, simple past and past participle liquidated)

liquidates (present singular third-person)
liquidating (participle present)
liquidated (participle past)
liquidated (past)

Learned borrowing from Late Latin liquidātus (“liquid; clear”, adjective) + English -ate (suffix forming verbs, and forming adjectives with the sense ‘characterized by [the specified things]’). Liquidātus is the perfect passive participle of liquidō (“to turn into a liquid, melt; to make clear”), from Latin liquidus (“fluid, liquid; clear, transparent”) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs); while liquidus is from liqueō (“to be fluid or liquid; to be clear or transparent”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wleykʷ- (“to make wet; moist”)) + -idus (suffix meaning ‘tending to’ forming adjectives). By surface analysis, liquid (adjective) + -ate.
Sense 1.2.3 (“to kill; to abolish or eliminate”) is a semantic loan from Russian ликвиди́ровать (likvidírovatʹ); while sense 1.2.4 and sense 2 (business-related senses) were influenced by French liquider and Italian liquidare, all ultimately from Latin liquidus (see above).

affix

suffix forming verbs, and forming adjectives with the sense ‘characterized by 􂀿the specified things􂁀’

semantic loan

ликвиди́ровать

How far progress has been made in liquidating the locomotive stock of the old companies may be judged from the shrinkage in their numbers, by some 50 per cent. at the end of 1931, to about 35 per cent. in 1938.

1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 161:

Her only relative was a niece in Boston, who arranged for a local lawyer to liquidate Mrs. Garner’s property.

2016, Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad […], New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, →ISBN, page 46:

To convert (assets) into cash; to encash, to realize, to redeem.

liquidar

to convert (assets) into cash — see also encash, realize, redeem

The excess of the former amount over the latter constitutes of course a debt due by this Company to the banking company, the settlement of which has engaged the earnest attention of the Board. Their wish was to liquidate that amount by the proceeds of sales of property; but the unfavourable state of the colony has prevented their doing more than effecting a reduction of the debt by a payment to account.

1844 June 29, “Summary of the Eighth Report of the South Australian Company”, in The Colonial Gazette: A Weekly Journal, volume VI, number 292, London: William Holme […], →OCLC, page 413, column 2:

Defence could not be merely passive: assistance must be given to Mülhausen to liquidate outstanding debts, while Sigismund [Archduke of Austria] was open to receive offers, within the limits of the treaty of St. Omer, to redeem some or all of the territories he had pledged.

1952 July, E[dgar] Bonjour, H[ilary] S[eton] Offler, G[eorge] R[ichard] Potter, “The Heroic Age”, in A Short History of Switzerland, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, published August 1952, →OCLC, page 126:

To settle (a debt) by paying the outstanding amount; to pay off.

изплащам

to settle (a debt) by paying the outstanding amount — see also pay off

ликвиди́ровать

задо́лженность

To settle the financial affairs of (a corporation, partnership, or other business) with the aim of ceasing operations, by determining liabilities, using assets to pay debts, and apportioning the remaining assets if any; to wind up.

COVID-19 hit the company hard—I foresee it will liquidate within a year.

A reverse triangular merger is the same as a triangular merger, except that the subsidiary created by the acquirer merges into the selling entity and then liquidates, leaving the selling entity as the surviving entity, and a subsidiary of the acquirer.

2017, Steven M. Bragg, “Mergers and Acquisitions”, in The CFO Guidebook, 3rd edition edition, Centennial, Colo.: Accounting Tools, →ISBN, page 125:

(intransitive, business, commercial law, finance) Of a corporation, partnership, or other business: to settle financial affairs with the aim of ceasing operations; to go into liquidation, to wind up.

уреждам

(transitive) to settle the financial affairs of (a corporation, partnership, or other business) with the aim of ceasing operations; (intransitive) of a corporation, partnership, or other business: to settle financial affairs with the aim of ceasing operations; to go into liquidation — see also wind up


wobbler

A wire "Wobbler" holds a card for counter display

1958 May 19, “Irish offers sales kit”, in Billboard, page 18:

Yesterday saw the launch of the initiative, which will use advertising “shelf wobblers” that usually publicise special offers to encourage Bristol shoppers to bring back their plastic bottles for recycling.

2006 February 28, “Recycling message hits supermarket shelves in Bristol”, in LetsRecycle.com:

(retail, advertising) A small publicity notice which appears to float at eye level, being attached to a fixture by a flexible arm.


coupon code

(retail) An alphanumeric code used to identify the offer associated with a coupon.


oddment

[…] she pushed me inside a shop that sold oddments and seconds.

1985, Jeanette Winterson, “Numbers”, in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, page 79:

Whoever had purchased this supply of arms had scoured all the darker bazaars of the international weapons market, buying a lot here, another lot there, an oddment in a third place.

1988, Campbell Armstrong, chapter 11, in Mazurka,, New York: Harper & Row, published 1990, page 251:

(commerce) An item that was originally part of a set but is sold individually; an excess item of stock.


money tree

(commercial name) The Malabar chestnut, Pachira aquatica.


BBB

Better Business Bureau
w:Better Business Bureau

(commerce) Initialism of Better Business Bureau.


Catalina

Catalina
Consolidated PBY Catalina
en:Santa Catalina Island (California)


Christmas season

en-noun

Christmas season (plural Christmas seasons)

(US, informal, retail and marketing) The winter season starting around Thanksgiving (typically Black Friday) and ending at or about New Year's Eve.


Geiger counter

/ˈɡaɪɡə ˈkaʊntə/

/ˈɡaɪɡɚ ˈkaʊntɚ/

Ernest Rutherford
Geiger counter
Hans Geiger

Named after Hans Geiger who developed the first such device in 1908 together with Ernest Rutherford.

Any Geiger Counter feature can direct a user towards an RFID tagged item or at least point the user in the right direction, depending on how far away the RFID tag is.

2021 July 15, “10 Facts About the Geiger Counter Functionality, aka RFID Tag Locator”, in atlasRFIDstore (blog), retrieved 2024-08-23:

(by extension, retail) a feature of an RFID reader that emits a sound indicating the signal strength of an RFID tag that is being searched for.


point of sale

Near-synonym: point of purchase

His trenchant criticisms of the Church's repression […] include a discussion of the considerable 1938 success of the fledgling NODL in getting magazines removed from various points of sale.

2011, Jay A. Gertzman, Bookleggers and Smuthounds: The Trade in Erotica, 1920-1940:

Traditionally, 'ticket office' seems to have been the preferred term in America, with Britain using the term 'booking office' (as an 1881 edition of The Railway Age Monthly and Railway Service Magazine explains). Today, the two are often used interchangeably (as the recent 'Save our ticket offices' campaign shows), with the term 'ticketing' perhaps capturing more of the point-of-sale transaction and issuing of tickets within stations.

2024 March 6, Dr Joseph Brennan, “England's booking offices of distinction”, in RAIL, number 1004, page 56:

(retail) The location at which payment for goods is made in an establishment that sells goods or services.


open box

(business, retail) Pertaining to a product sold by merchants at a discount, because the item was returned but found not to be defective.


end-of-life

That operating system version is approaching end-of-life.

(commerce, often attributive) Termination of the sale of or support for goods and services.


form factor

Shugart Associates first introduced the 5.25-inch form factor along with the first 5.25-inch floppy drive back in 1976.

2004, Scott Mueller, Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, page 311:

2007, March, Erin McKean, “Redefining the dictionary”, Technology Entertainment Design
I want him to barely remember that this is the form factor that dictionaries used to come in.

(engineering, design, commerce) The geometry of an object, especially in engineering design; configuration.

kokoluokka

The geometry of an object in engineering design


kitting

Kitting for in-plant handling is unlean. Kitting for transport, on the other hand, is lean; for example, shipping complete sets of parts to make a TV or motorcycle or motor home is lean.

2007, Richard J. Schonberger, Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement, page 204:

(manufacturing, retail) The process of assembling or bundling various related goods for sale to increase revenue.


mom and pop

mom and pops (plural)
Mom and Pop (alternative)
mom-and-pop (alternative)
Mom-and-Pop (alternative)

Named for the archetypical case in which such a business is run by a self-employed couple with children.

Coordinate term: big box

(informal, business, commerce, retail) A small business, often but not always owned or operated by a family.


big box

Coordinate term: mom and pop

(business, commerce, retail) A large self-service store, usually on a single level, with few interior walls, owned and run by a corporation.


short selling

(commerce, finance) The practice of selling items or stock which one does not currently possess.


securitization

securitization (countable and uncountable, plural securitizations)

securitizations (plural)
securitisation (alternative UK)

/sɪˈkjʊəɹɪtʌɪzeɪʃən/

Securitization became a fee-based business. […] The logic of private-label securitization was mass production, and new mortgages had to be fed into this machine constantly to sustain it.

2020, Katharina Pistor, “4: Minting Debt”, in The Code of Capital […] , Princeton University Press, →ISBN:

(commerce, finance) The fact or process of securitizing assets; the conversion of loans into securities, usually in order to sell them on to other investors.


showcasing

showcasing (countable and uncountable, plural showcasings)

(Internet, retail) The activity of browsing bricks-and-mortar stores to examine goods before buying them online, frequently from a different retailer.


childrenswear

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-childrenswear.wav


blinkie

These are blinkies. When you walk up to them there is usually a coupon sticking out. Snag the coupon and another one just like it will pop out in a few seconds. Blinkies have a special place in my heart.

2013, Kasey Knight Trenum, Couponing for the Rest of Us:

(retail, colloquial) A coupon dispenser with blinking lights to draw the attention of shoppers.


shmatte

shmattes (plural)
schmatte (alternative)
schmata (alternative)
schmatta (alternative)
schmate (alternative)
schmutter (alternative)
shmatta (alternative)

Borrowed from Yiddish שמאַטע (shmate); originally from Polish szmata.

She skipped onto a minimally decorated stage in a pale salmon pink schmate covered in bows, loose-fitting and obviously filled with surprises.

1983 April 9, Walta Borawski, “Midler in Boston”, in Gay Community News, page 12:

I said, Why am I in the shmatte business? Mr. Kimmel said of his beginners luck.

2007 December 12, David M. Halbfinger, “A Film Producer Guided More by His Heart Than by His Calculator”, in New York Times:

In addition to having the barely perceptible but definitely present scummy vibe of an early 20th-century schmatte business, it was like the ultimate perversion of the male literary impulse.

2020, Emily Segal, Mercury Retrograde, New York: Deluge Books, →ISBN:

(fashion industry, clothing retail, slang) Any item of clothing.


OBO

obo (alternative)
o.b.o. (alternative)
o. b. o. (alternative)
O.B.O. (alternative)
O. B. O. (alternative)
o/b/o (alternative)
O/B/O (alternative)

(commerce) Initialism of or best offer; showing that a price is negotiable.


respondentia

respondentia (usually uncountable, plural respondentias)

From Latin respondentia; see also respondence.

In some places of Italy, money may be lent on respondentia to persons who are not interested in the ship, but those loans must be made in the form of a wager.

1824, Wilhelm Benecke, A Treatise on the Principles of Indemnity in Marine Insurance, Bottomry and Respondentia, page 110:

1831, William Selwyn, Henry Wheaton (notes to the decisions), Thomas I. Wharton (additional notes), An Abridgement of the Law of Nisi Prius, Volume 2, 4th American Edition, page 230,
In the case of a loan, the money is at the risk of the borrower, and must be repaid at all events. But where money is lent on bottomry or respondentia, the money is at the risk of the lender during the voyage.

1999 [1880], John Bouvier, Daniel A. Gleason, Institutes of American Law, Volume 1, New Edition, page 311,
The contract is called respondentia because the money is lent on the personal security of the borrower. It differs from bottomry principally in the following circumstances: bottomry is a loan on the ship, respondentia on the goods; the money is to be repaid to the lender, with maritime interest, in the one case upon the arrival of the ship, and of the goods in the other. In all other respects the contracts are nearly the same, and are governed by the same principles.

(law, commercial law) A loan upon goods laden on board a ship.


HBC

(retail) Initialism of health and beauty care.


hyperphysical

en-adj

hyperphysical (comparative more hyperphysical, superlative most hyperphysical)

more hyperphysical (comparative)
most hyperphysical (superlative)

In the post-pandemic present, the key to success is undoubtedly the "hyperphysical" shops, the macro trend, identified by The Future Laboratory and reported by Vogue Business, which describes retail spaces so spectacular that visiting them is an emotional experience. From Balenciaga's pink fur-clad pop-ups to Jacquemus' bag vending machines: at a time when many consumers have yet to abandon e-commerce as their preferred mode of purchase, hyperphysical retailing is catalysing the attention of younger consumers.

2022 May 5, Lucy Shaw, “The future of retail is "hyperphysical"”, in Nss magazine:

Additionally, the store can lead to an immersive brand activation environment, with the digital and physical environment converging more and more. Some of this discussion involves concepts such as hyperphysical stores (where the tangible aspects are highly visible and sensorial) and other leans more toward the ‘store of the future’, with increased technology integration.

2024, Ana Roncha, “Fashion brand management”, in Rosemary Varley, Ana Roncha, Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, Liz Gee, editors, Fashion Management: A Strategic Approach, London: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 104:

(business, marketing, retail, often fashion) Highly stimulating, offering intense or abundant visual, tactile, or other physical stimulation.


sweethearting

en-noun

sweethearting (usually uncountable, plural sweetheartings)

(business, retail) Theft by employees at the cash register, for example by giving away merchandise to friends and family.


antique shop

antique shops (plural)
antiques shop (alternative)

My grandmother Rosemary never cared much for antique shops, she preferred modern goods as opposed to the things of yore.

New Alresford is constantly mispronounced, T-shaped, honeycombed with cellars, packed with antique shops, riddled with woodworm, surrounded by watercress. The name - which means 'ford by the alders' - is pronounced 'Allsford'; and no one ever uses 'New', though they do call the adjoining village Old Alresford.

1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 144:

2007, US Census Bureau, Last week, Sarah cleaned and painted the back room of her house in preparation for setting up an antique shop there.:

(retail) A business dedicated to storing, selling, restoring, and trading in items from previous eras for their superficial and historical value, especially furniture and trinkets.


floorset

(retail) The process of rearranging all the goods in a store to give a fresh appearance, often according to a planogram.


special order sale

special order sale (plural special order sales)

(retail) The sale of an item that is not stocked by ordering it from another company


Catalina coupon

Catalina coupon (plural Catalina coupons)

Named after the marketing company, founded on a sailing trip to Santa Catalina Island.

(US, retail) A coupon printed after purchase at the register, based on the items purchased.


SRP

suggested retail price
suggested retail price#English

(commerce) Initialism of suggested retail price.


cold chain

(commerce) A supply chain which is temperature-controlled, important for the supply of certain foods or pharmaceuticals.


accommodation paper

accommodation paper (plural accommodation papers)

(commerce, law) A note or bill drawn, draft accepted, or endorsed by one or more parties to enable another party to obtain credit or raise money without consideration or collateral.


power center

power centers (plural)
power centre (alternative)

(retail) An unenclosed shopping center with a gross leasable area between 250,000 and 750,000 square feet.


dump bin

(retail) A bin filled with products of a particular type, often at a discount, without any stacking or arrangement.


symbol group

(UK, retail) A form of retail franchise company that does not own or operate stores, but acts as a supplier to independent grocers, supermarkets, etc. which then trade under a common banner.


inherent vice

inherent vice (usually uncountable, plural inherent vices)

Leather, badly tanned, is susceptible to deterioration from inherent vice induced by poor quality manufacturing.

1988 February 21, Thomas C. Albro II, “Books and their Enemies Caring for your Library”, in Washington Post, retrieved 2015-07-17:

[T]he insurance was stated to cover “all risks of loss or damage” except that “caused by inherent vice or nature of the subject matter covered”.

2011 June 23, Locke Lord LLP, “Supreme Court confirms reduced scope of inherent vice exclusions”, in lexology.com, retrieved 2015-07-17:

The court also considered these principles in the context of the CMR Rules, in particular articles 3, 17 and 18.
Article17.2. The carrier shall, however, be relieved of liability if the loss, damage or delay was caused by the wrongful act or neglect of the claimant, by the instructions of the claimant given otherwise than as the result of a wrongful act or neglect on the part of the carrier, by inherent vice of the goods or through circumstances which the carrier could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent.

2012 October 8, Karl Grech Orr, “Carrier responsible for all damages during shipment”, in Times of Malta, retrieved 2015-07-17:

Ms. Figgis favors rich colors that bubble, ooze and marbleize as if alive. Her scenes . . . frequently feature daffy but spectral creatures and leering ghouls with top hats and canes. The art conservationist’s term “inherent vice” describes both the instability of the images and the general sense of the macabre.

2014 October 23, Roberta Smith, “Art & Design: Genieve Figgis: ‘Good Morning, Midnight’”, in New York Times, retrieved 2015-07-17:

(commercial law) An intrinsic shortcoming in an object, especially an object's in-built tendency to degrade, which adversely affects its evaluation, preservability, insurability, or acceptability to be transported by a shipper, and which usually limits the legal liability of those who handle or care for it.

Inherent vice (library and archival science)


peelie

(retail, colloquial) A coupon attached to a product's packaging so that it can be peeled off.


business-friendly

en-adj

business-friendly (comparative more business-friendly, superlative most business-friendly)

more business-friendly (comparative)
most business-friendly (superlative)

(business, commerce, retail) Favoring or conducive to business concerns or interests.

geschäftsfreundlich

favoring or conducive to business concerns or interests


shwopping

However, perhaps the most interesting thing about shwopping was the attempt to engage the consumer. This non-product campaign incorporated a highly innovative social media strategy alongside other forms of media and PR activity.

2013, Nick Coad, Paul Pritchard, Leading Sustainable Innovation:

(retail) The practice of taking old items to a shop to be donated or recycled, while also buying new items.


food hall

(UK, Europe, retail) The part of a department store that sells food.


uberization

From Uber + -ization. From the brand name Uber, referring to a decentralized ridesharing service.

(business, commerce) The transformation of an existing industry or economy with the help of computing platforms, especially mobile applications, and temporary employment schemes.

uberització

utilisation of data platforms to bypass centrally planned corporations


self-scan

(retail, chiefly attributive) An electronic system in a supermarket etc. allowing customers to scan the barcodes on their purchases and pay for them without the need for a cashier.


self-scan

en-verb

self-scan (third-person singular simple present self-scans, present participle self-scanning, simple past and past participle self-scanned)

self-scans (present singular third-person)
self-scanning (participle present)
self-scanned (participle past)
self-scanned (past)


self-checkout

en-noun

self-checkout (countable and uncountable, plural self-checkouts)

self-checkouts (plural)
self-scan checkout (alternative)
self-scanning checkout (alternative)
self checkout (alternative)

zelfscankassa

a location in shops where customers can scan and pay for their purchases themselves

(retail, countable) A self-scan checkout.

one of the first stores to introduce self-checkout

While self-checkout machines are often used alongside cashiers, labor unions say that tilting toward fully cashierless operations threatens the French way of life by encouraging American-style consumerism and automation, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

2019 December 26, Liz Alderman, “Self-Checkout in France Sets Off Battle Over a Day of Rest”, in The New York Times:

(retail, uncountable) The use of self-scan checkouts.


COC

Alternative form: CoC

chamber of commerce
chamber of commerce#English

(commerce) Abbreviation of chamber of commerce.


yellow goods

The sum of the characteristics for each and every good is different, and the sum of characteristics for red goods is lower than the sum of the characteristics for yellow goods.

2001, Michael John Baker, Marketing: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management:

(retail) Big-ticket items that are rarely purchased and not regularly replaced.


go-back

(retail) An item of merchandise that needs to be returned to a shelf or rack, for example because a customer has decided not to purchase it or has brought it back for an exchange.


underface

en-verb

underface (third-person singular simple present underfaces, present participle underfacing, simple past and past participle underfaced)

underfaces (present singular third-person)
underfacing (participle present)
underfaced (participle past)
underfaced (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-underface.wav

(retail) To place an unsufficient quantity of a product range on the shelves.


click and collect

(retail) A service allowing customers to buy products online and then visit a local branch of the store to collect them.


dumpbin

(retail) A large freestanding box or basket containing loose goods for sale.


fast fashion

Forever 21, the California retailer that helped popularize fast fashion in the United States with its bustling stores and $5 tops, said on Sunday night that it would file for bankruptcy, a sign of the eroding power of shopping malls and the shifting tastes of young consumers.

2019 September 29, Sapna Maheshwari, “Forever 21, Which Helped Popularize Fast Fashion, to File for Bankruptcy”, in New York Times:

Among the developments deemed to be exacerbating the problems, is fast fashion – cheap clothes bought and cast aside in rapid succession as trends change – such as the £1 bikini sold by Missguided last year.

2020 April 7, Nicola Davis, “Fast fashion speeding toward environmental disaster, report warns”, in The Guardian:

(retail) An approach to clothing retail by which designs are quickly adopted from the catwalk so as to capture current fashion trends.


BOPUS

2019, Molly Fosco, Talking Shop: Can Click and Collect Challenge Amazon?, 10 March 2019, OZY.
Despite evidence to the contrary at my local Target that evening, the option to buy online and pick up in store (BOPUS) is becoming increasingly popular throughout the U.S.

(retail) Acronym of buy online, pick up in store.


call and collect

(retail) A service allowing customers to order products by telephone and then visit a local branch of the store to collect them.


flash pack

As a simple example of a sales promotion we will consider a money-off flash pack promotion for a convenience food product, using very simplified numbers.

2013, Keith Ward, Financial Aspects of Marketing:

The lower price is given advertising support, e.g. special flash packs, coupons, banner displays at the point of sale, etc.

2013, P. F. McGoldrick, Advances in Manufacturing Technology: Proceedings, page 33:

(retail, marketing) A package printed with a special discount offer on it.


Cinderella sale

en-noun

Cinderella sale (plural Cinderella sales)

First use appears c. 1909 in the publication Shoe Retailer and Boots and Shoes Weekly.

Instead of advertising small widths and sizes in women's shoes, the event was called the Cinderella sale.

1915, Chilton Company (publisher), Boot and Shoe Recorder, Volume 67, page 47:

Why not try a Cinderella Sale? Offer a table of odds and ends, broken sizes, leftovers, etc. Make prices ridiculous.

1975, Farm Supplier, volume 49, page 399:

(business, retail) An occasional sale of miscellaneous or damaged items.


final order cutoff

final order cutoff (plural final order cutoffs)

(publishing, retailing) The latest date that retailers can submit their finalized orders before publishers set up their print runs. Orders submitted before this will be fulfilled as the publisher wills, orders submitted after this will be subject to availability.


F&R

(logistics, supply chain management, retail) Initialism of forecasting and replenishment.

logistics; supply chain management; logistics; supply chain management


forward contract

forward contract (plural forward contracts)

(finance, commerce) A contract between two parties to buy or sell something on a stated future date at a price agreed now; distinguished from a futures contract in not being standardised or exchange-traded.


SEL

SEL (countable and uncountable, plural SELs)

(retail, countable) Initialism of shelf edge label.


distress merchandise

(retail) Goods that are not selling well and may need to be discounted or otherwise disposed of.


BNPL

(retail) Initialism of buy now, pay later.


peril point

(US, commerce) The level beyond which an import tariff would be low enough to threaten domestic production.


factory second

(retail, manufacturing) A retail item that, through minor fault of manufacture, is sold to the public for a reduced rate.


HHT

handheld terminal
handheld terminal#English

(retail) Initialism of handheld terminal.


first party

(business, commerce) An individual or entity directly involved in a given transaction, such as a buyer or seller.


second party

second parties (plural)
2nd party (alternative)
2d party (alternative)

(business, commerce) An individual or entity related to the first party in a business or transaction.


second-party

(business, commerce) Of or related to the second party in a business or transaction.


FSDU

(retail) Initialism of freestanding display unit.


meal deal

(UK, retail) A sales promotion consisting of a main (often a sandwich), a drink, and a snack (often crisps) for a fixed price.


overface

en-verb

overface (third-person singular simple present overfaces, present participle overfacing, simple past and past participle overfaced)

overfaces (present singular third-person)
overfacing (participle present)
overfaced (participle past)
overfaced (past)

Larger stores had to be filled, so retailers started overfacing items

2015, Constant Berkhout, Retail Marketing Strategy: Delivering Shopper Delight, page 114:

(retail) To place an excessive quantity of a product range on the shelves.


AOV

(commerce) Abbreviation of average order value.


softline

Coordinate term: hardline

(retail, chiefly attributive) A line of goods that are consumed after a single use, or have a limited lifespan: e.g. clothing, toiletries, stationery.


Shipageddon

From ship + -ageddon, coined by podcaster Jason Goldberg.

(US, slang, retail, historical) Shipping delays caused by a large influx of online orders in the United States in the year 2020.


loyalty tax

(retail) The situation where discounts offered to new subscribers to a service mean that existing long-term customers are charged more.


B/S/T

en-noun

B/S/T (countable and uncountable, plural B/S/Ts)

(commerce, Internet slang) Initialism of buy/sell/trade (used in online marketplaces, Internet forums and social media wherein individuals or businesses can engage in transactions with one another.)


Paul Blart

From the titular character of the Paul Blart: Mall Cop series of movies.

So within a couple minutes of my walking up to the inner fence (there's a short outer one to keep cars out which doesn't continue to the dirt) Paul Blart himself showed up to tell me to back off!

2009 May 22, TheDamnMushroom, “dead mall 1”, in Flickr.com:

And even then, Paul Blart would likely be occupied with stopping the kids who were skateboarding through THE MALL CONCOURSE!

2018 July 21, “Regal Cinemas at St Louis Mills. The only real draw for the mall now a days.”, in Reddit:

I saw one fat Paul Blart and one police officer

2023 December 12, Crankbait, Carolina Firearms Forum:

(retail, informal, US) A mall security guard, especially one considered self-serious or hostile.


loyalty price

(retail) A reduced price made available to holders of a loyalty card.


MUP

(retail) Initialism of minimum unit pricing.


letter of advice

letter of advice (plural letters of advice)

(law, commercial law) A letter notifying the recipient of the details of a commercial transaction, such as one notifying the purchaser that goods have been shipped.


foot traffic

(business, retail) A measure of the number of people or customers who enter a shopping mall or retail location within a specific period.


shelf stopper

(retail, advertising) A wobbler (small floating publicity notice) attached to a shelf in a shop.


greentailing

(business, retail) The integration of environmentally sustainable practices within a retail operation.