# Shop! [to get an employee's attention]



## ewie

Hello folks.
I've just been to my local supermarket to get some fags*.
So, I get to the cigarette counter and ~ surprise surprise ~ the two women on duty are standing with their backs to potential customers chatting to one of their pals.
I wait a couple of seconds then clear my throat conspicuously.  No response.
After a few more seconds I call out _Shop!_ to get someone's (_anyone's!_) attention.

I'm fairly sure that calling out _Shop!_ is General British.  (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
But ... what do you say in other parts of the world?


*Sorry: the difference between UK _fags_ and US _fags_ never ceases to amuse me.  I mean, of course, _ciggies_.


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## envie de voyager

Here in Canada, I would blurt out "Excuse me". If that didn't get a response, I would leave. 

(Actually, I've never heard of the word "shop!" being used like that.)


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## pickarooney

"Hello" usually works for me.


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## cuchuflete

ewie said:


> Hello folks.
> I've just been to my local supermarket to get some fags*. *****
> So, I get to the cigarette counter and ~ surprise surprise ~ the two women on duty are standing with their backs to potential customers chatting to one of their pals.
> I wait a couple of seconds then clear my throat conspicuously.  No response.
> After a few more seconds I call out _Shop!_ to get someone's (_anyone's!_) attention.
> 
> I'm fairly sure that calling out _Shop!_ is General British.  (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
> But ... what do you say in other parts of the world?
> 
> 
> *Sorry: the difference between UK _fags_ and US _fags_ never ceases to amuse me.  I mean, of course, _ciggies_.
> 
> *********  Sorry, but it means cigarettes in AE also.   Among other things...*



In AE this meaning of Shop! is unknown.  I guess I would mumble or yell, depending on the urgency of the purchase, "Excuuuuuuuse me!" or maybe "Hellooooooo!".




> *fag * *A
> *_noun
> _
> *1  *cigarette, cigaret, coffin nail, butt, *fag*
> 
> _finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking_


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## Rover_KE

I've been shouting SHOP! all my life to get served at unattended counters, and I'd do the same in the circumstances described here.

Rover


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## kenny4528

Hi, not contributing but wondering: if *people*(with a screeching voice, maybe) is possibe in this situation? I seem to have seen it used this way in the movies.


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## Nunty

What does "shop" mean in this situation? "I want to SHOP!"? "Pay attention to your SHOP"? "This is meant to be a SHOP, isn't it?" I've never heard it before, not even in an English movie.


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## Evren_ytu

I would say " excuse me" , if i were you


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## Rover_KE

Nunty,

It's short for 'There's somebody waiting to be served in the shop!' and by extension '. . .in the office', '. . .at the counter', '. . .at the desk', '. . .in the woodyard' etc.

Rover


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## entangledbank

I wouldn't dare say it _in a shop_, but I like saying it to attract, for example, co-workers' or bar staff's attention - people I know won't deck me.


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## catherine1999

In China, we would probably say "shop" or "Hello", same meaning in Chinese.


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## Welshie

I've never heard of "Shop!" being used like this  I'd say "Excuse me", "Good morning" or some such.


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## Halloway

I would tend to use 'shop' only if there were no staff evident. With small shops it was often the case that the shopkeeper might actually sit in a backroom when there were no customers in the shop. If one entered the shop and the shopkeeper were not present then one would call 'shop!'. It's an alternative to e.g. a bell on the counter.


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## ewie

Well, I'm surprised by your answers, particularly by the number of folks who _don't_ use or even know it.


kenny4528 said:


> wondering: if *people *(with a screeching voice, maybe) is possible in this situation?


(I wouldn't use that in a shop, Kenny ~ maybe among a group of friends who were having an argument and whose attention I wanted to get.)


Rover_KE said:


> and by extension '. . .in the office', '. . .at the counter', '. . .at the desk', '. . .in the woodyard' etc.


 Yes, it can be used more or less anywhere you're hoping to be attended to.


entangledbank said:


> people I know won't deck me.


I tend to give it a jokey spin, Entang: _Sho-op?_ with a very rising doodah at the end.  (When the woman in the supermarket finally tore herself away from her riveting conversation, she replied jokily, "Yes, we are a shop.")


Halloway said:


> If one entered the shop and the shopkeeper were not present then one would call 'shop!'. It's an alternative to e.g. a bell on the counter.


Yes, that's how it's always been in my mind's eye, Hallo.
Thanks for the answers


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## cuchuflete

Ewie, would you consider wailing, "Nicotine fit!"?


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## ewie

cuchuflete said:


> Ewie, would you consider wailing, "Nicotine fit!"?


Oh it wasn't _that_ kind of urgent, Mr.Flète.  It was just one of my usual _Will everyone *please *stop ignoring me?_ kind of moments


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## shawnee

Halloway said:


> I would tend to use 'shop' only if there were no staff evident. With small shops it was often the case that the shopkeeper might actually sit in a backroom when there were no customers in the shop. If one entered the shop and the shopkeeper were not present then one would call 'shop!'. It's an alternative to e.g. a bell on the counter.



Pretty much summarises the Australian usage. Very common some decades ago, but as for now, I wonder!


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## Loob

Sorry, ewie-babes, I think it's another of your 19th-century-isms...

I'd say, loudly, "Hello?"


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## ewie

Loob said:


> Sorry, ewie-babes, I think it's another of your 19th-century-isms...


Hmmm, maybe just a Northernism then.  (Rover and I have both used it all our lives and we're of an age, give or take 25 years.)  I'm not sure where Entang fits into that, though.  Or Halloway.


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## panjandrum

I don't think I have ever heard "Shop!" in real life, and I don't think I'd use it except as a joke in a very small number of local establishments where I call in regularly for a chat on a weekday morning.
But there's no doubt that it has it's place in legend.


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## Ann O'Rack

I'm with Panj on this one. I'd never use it seriously, though it might raise a smile "down your local" (assuming your local publican were in a good mood, of course).


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## Wayland

I am with Mr ewie on this and suggest that this is a particularly northern usage.
It would be perfectly understood and no offense implied or taken. Although I have to admit that one more often hears "helloo" or some such these days.

Many moons ago when requisitioning kit/equipment/materiel from the Quartermaster one used to rap very loudly on the counter and shout "stores" (stoo-aahs in the local lingo) which usually produced a flustered airman 2nd class wiping tea from his mouth.
This did not go down too well if the Warrant himself was the only one there.
I can remember shouting "stores" to barmen in the 60s but would only use it now if being jocular with a known acquaintance.


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## a little edgy

I agree with cachuflete that using "shop!" in this sense is unknown in the US; it wouldn't even be recognized as BE, just thought of as an odd, random word you were shouting. 

"Excuse me" is the standard, polite thing to say in AE. However, in a situation where one is being blatantly ignored, "hello?" - said with greater or lesser irritation, depending on one's mood - is very common.


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## Ritoha

I have used it all my life but i have changed now to 'any chance of being served in here?' because it has now become normal to be ignored in most shops.


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## Pedro y La Torre

ewie said:


> Hello folks.
> I've just been to my local supermarket to get some fags*.
> So, I get to the cigarette counter and ~ surprise surprise ~ the two women on duty are standing with their backs to potential customers chatting to one of their pals.
> I wait a couple of seconds then clear my throat conspicuously.  No response.
> After a few more seconds I call out _Shop!_ to get someone's (_anyone's!_) attention.
> 
> I'm fairly sure that calling out _Shop!_ is General British.  (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
> But ... what do you say in other parts of the world?
> 
> 
> *Sorry: the difference between UK _fags_ and US _fags_ never ceases to amuse me.  I mean, of course, _ciggies_.



I've never heard of such usage in Ireland. I'd say _sorry_, or if they continued to not listen, a forceful _excuse me_ would be used to gain their attention.


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## Packard

I always yell out "Knock-knock..."

S.H.O.P.

Self Help Or Piss-off?


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## ewie

Pedro y La Torre said:


> I'd say _sorry_


 Oh I wouldn't _ever_ say that, Pedro! ~ that's like apologizing when someone stands on _your _foot


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## Pedro y La Torre

ewie said:


> Oh I wouldn't _ever_ say that, Pedro! ~ that's like apologizing when someone stands on _your _foot



Well the intonation used usually makes clear that it's they who should be sorry.


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## se16teddy

panjandrum said:


> I don't think I have ever heard "Shop!" in real life, and I don't think I'd use it except as a joke in a very small number of local establishments where I call in regularly for a chat on a weekday morning.


I don't think I've heard it either.  But I associate it with the kind of small shop where, when you go in, the shop-keeper is in the sitting room out the back reading the paper, and is a bit too deaf to hear the bell that rings when the door opens.  I do remember such shops from my childhood.


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## Loob

Re-thinking my previous input...

If I entered a shop and there was no-one behind the counter, I'd say call out "Hello?"

If I entered a shop and there were two assistants gossiping behind the counter, I'd say "Excuse me". *Loudly.*

Maybe next time I'll try ewie's "Shop!".  Especially if it makes people smile


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## Packard

Loob said:


> Re-thinking my previous input...
> 
> If I entered a shop and there was no-one behind the counter, I'd say call out "Hello?"
> 
> If I entered a shop and there were two assistants gossiping behind the counter, I'd say "Excuse me". *Loudly.*
> 
> Maybe next time I'll try ewie's "Shop!". Especially if it makes people smile


 
Yelling out "cash" or "money" might get their attention too.


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## JamesM

I had never heard it before I read this thread. I would say "Excuse me" or "Can someone/anyone help me" or, if I was in a particularly bad mood, "Do you work here?" with both meanings intended.

If it was a small country store or a local place and no one was in sight, I'd probably say, "Anyone around?" or "Anybody here?"


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## ewie

JamesM said:


> "Do you work here?"


Oh I like that one, James ~ if I remember I'll try that next time.

... in the meantime, in the name of linguistic experimentation (and stuff), perhaps some of _you all _would like to try yelling _Shop!_ the next time this situation arises ... and let me know what happens


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## lablady

JamesM said:


> I had never heard it before I read this thread. I would say "Excuse me" or "Can someone/anyone help me" or, if I was in a particularly bad mood, "Do you work here?" with both meanings intended.


This is how I would handle the situation also, including the bad mood line.


> If it was a small country store or a local place and no one was in sight, I'd probably say, "Anyone around?" or "Anybody here?"


If no one appeared to be around I might call out, "Anybody home?", completely aware that I was in a place of business and not someone's residence. 

The idea of saying "Shop!" has never occured to me until now. I wonder what kind of reaction I'd get if I tried it around here. I'll keep you posted.


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## ewie

lablady said:


> I wonder what kind of reaction I'd get if I tried it around here. I'll keep you posted.


Yay! a volunteer! thanks LL


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## Arkalai

Never heard it used in that context. Not in a book, on TV... never.
And I wouldn't use anything in particular other than "_excuse me_".

Sorry I don't have anything more imaginative.


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## Ritoha

Something else that's just come to mind is that when we were younger we would go into a shop,find the staff busy, and call out 'shop' straight away.   If looks could kill! If you actually new someone who worked there that normally rendered non-existent any chance of being served that day!


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## AngelEyes

I've never heard it, either. It comes across as a bit more forceful  and impatient than "Excuse me."

The AE expression that holds the same energy and attitude of it is:

"Hey!" _As in, hey stupid, are you blind? Do you mind? I need help here._


*AngelEyes*


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## Packard

I carry one of these with me at all times.  It works very well--even in crowded bars.

http://www.brassbell.com/gifts/product.asp?s_id=1&prod_name=LARGE+POLISHED+BRASS+SERVICE+BELL+%22SECOND%22&pf_id=PAFGABPOPGJPJKHD&dept_id=1038&mscssid=UNPVWG1WJ5FR8MUML82MAVM0752WBWA9


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## StevenUSA

Newer question added to previous discussion.
Cagey, moderator 

My latest reading passion has been Tartan Noir, and I have just finished Stuart MacBride's excellent Logan McRae/Detective Steel series and am currently reading the Ash Henderson series. The occasional use of Scottish English in these books is not that difficult to figure out, with a little help from Google, but there is one particularity that makes me curious Whenever a character enters a store or a business and there is no employee at hand, the character either knocks on the counter and calls out "Shop!" or merely calls out "Shop!"  In American English, I suppose the most common greeting would be to say a loud Hello? as a question. I am just wondering if this "Shop!" expression is common in Scotland or even throughout the UK. I have visited Glasgow and London several times, but have never come across it, at least not that I had noticed.


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## entangledbank

In <this thread> some people thought it was Northern English rather than general UK, so if so, it might be Scottish too. It's well understood across the UK, but I don't think it's much used (any more).


<Threads now joined. Thank you. Cagey, moderator >


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## DonnyB

I would say it is, or rather was, fairly common across the UK at one time.

It's tended to die out somewhat, possibly because of the trend towards self-service, but on coming across an unattended checkout or two staff gossiping with their backs towards you, calling out "Shop!" would still sound quite natural to me.


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## Linkway

In my opinion, if a customer entered a shop and no staff were visible, the customer call "Shop!" to get the attention of a sales assistant who has perhaps gone to the storeroom behind the sales area, or hadn't noticed the customer waiting to be served.

I think it would be considered very rude (or humorous) if it was said to staff who could already see the customer.

Another situation is for a busy staff member to call "Shop!" to get the attention of a colleague to serve another customer.

This expression is now wholly out of date, especially because the vast majority of shops enable customers to browse and select products themselves rather than being served only from behind a counter, as in bygone times.


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## ewie

Linkway said:


> This expression is now wholly out of date, especially because the vast majority of shops enable customers to browse and select products themselves rather than being served only from behind a counter, as in bygone times.


It may be wholly out-of-date (as you so charmingly put it), Linkway, but it's not yet wholly obsolete: I'm still using it, and hearing other folk use it, here in the North of England, land of "The Customer Is Always Ignored".

P.S. I'm not talking about waiting for a tailor to come and measure me up for a three-piece: I'm talking about standing at a till/counter waiting to *pay* for my goods.


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## StevenUSA

Thank you, everyone! You learn something new each and every day, for sure. I kind of love that expression but don't know when I will be back in the UK to use it--in the States, it doesn't make any sense at all and no one would know what I meant.


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