Re: So it is true...


Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> Seán O'Leathlóbhair wrote:
>
> > If there is no reason to expect American usage, store as a noun means a
> > place where things are stored for no specific purpose. In fact, I
> > would not expect things to be directly sold from a store. If I
> > enquired about a book in a shop and was told: "It's in the store", I
> > would expect to wait while a member of staff fetched it. I guess that,
> > in American, the meaning would be: "It's on the shelf, go find it
> > yourself".
>
> Now _that_ is offensive. I don't know of any bookstore, chain,
> independent, or otherwise, where the staff are not knowledgeable and
> helpful. Even a part-time high school kid probably doesn't go to work in
> a bookstore if they don't care about books.

Sorry, it was not intended to be offensive. I was just speculating on
how the same phrase may be interpreted differently. If the response
"It's in the store" is implausible in the US, imagine an American
hearing it in the UK. I expect that he may misinterpret it.

I think that bookshops do have more helpful staff than usual but I have
encountered unhelpful staff on both in both of our countries in other
types of shop / store.

> I can't imagine any reason for anyone in a store to say "it's in the
> store" unless you were telephoning, and they checked; and then they
> would offer to hold it for you. (Online listings of store inventories
> can be incorrect -- due either to theft or, more likely, to the fact
> that they are not updated instantly, but overnight.)
>
> American for your version of "in the store" is "in the back."
> --
> Peter T. Daniels grammatim@xxxxxxx

--
Seán O'Leathlóbhair

.

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