# next customer stick



## robbie_SWE

Hi! 
 
This might sound like a silly question, but what do you call the supermarket’s "next customer stick” in your language?? 
 
Maybe I should explain myself: here in Sweden when you put all your products (that you're buying) on the "treadmill" at the counter, you put a stick with the words "next customer" behind all your products, so that the next customer can start unloading his/her products. 
 
Here in Sweden it's called "*kund pinne*" ("customer stick") or "*kund stav*" ("customer staff/pole") and I think that it's a total lack of fantasy. So I'm wondering: is the "stick" as boring in your language as in Swedish, or is it something ingenious?! If this tool doesn't exist in your country, what do you use instead to let the people behind you start unloading their products on the treadmill??
 

 robbie


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## Thomas F. O'Gara

Robbie:

Sorry to disappoint you, but here in the States the only term I've ever heard was "separator" - that is, when people called it anything at all.

Maybe a compatriot will come up with an accepted term.


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## Frank06

Hi,


> This might sound like a silly question, but what do you call the supermarket’s "next customer stick” in your language??


Apparantly, there are quite some names for it in Dutch... Or I'll put it another way, lots of people come with a word for it. It doesn't seem to be 'decided' yet which word will actually make it.

- de kassabanddivider (for readers of Dutch, you can find a reaction here)
- klantenartikelenscheider
- het volgende-klant-bordje
- het beurtbalkje [believe it or not, but there is even a website to promote this word! ]

While searching a round a bit I found a reference to the Swedish paper _Dagens Nyheter_ about a call for suggestions. Robbie, did the words you mention win that poll?


Groetjes,

Frank


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## robbie_SWE

No, I didn't get these words from the DN poll. They actually come from a radio show I heard today. They phoned a person who works for consumer interests and asked her. She said that the most accepted words were the ones I presented in this thread. I can't say I agree with her, but these are words we Swededs use to describe it (even if it is the same thing here as in Belgium, people make up new names for it everyday  ). 

 robbie


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## DrWatson

Hi Robbie,

This is a tough one... I've never heard anyone refer to it more than just "stick", in Finnish *kapula*. To my mind, "stick" is a sufficient name, since the only context in which it's referred to is the store. It's hardly a hot conversational topic.

Well, one may call it *seuraava asiakas -kyltti* "next customer sign" but there's probably no "official" name for it.


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## betulina

Hi, 

The first time I saw it was in England and I hadn't seen it where I live until last year or so, and not in every supermarket. I think it is a very new thing here and I've never heard a word for it, neither in Catalan or Spanish.

What we do when we don't have this thing (or always before it appeared) is to leave a space between the other customer's products and ours, and to put the hand between , or to say "up to here!" when our products are near, or, something, whatever in order to not to get things mixed!


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## Jana337

Here's a lovely German thread (mostly in German, though). Apart from separator, divider and customer bar were proposed. And do not forget to click on the English link in post 5. 

Jana


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## jester.

In German there is one very peculiar word which isn't very accepted. But it's funny though.

"NäKuBi" which is an abbreviation for "NÄchster KUnde BItte" (=Next costumer, please)


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## Chazzwozzer

Now I feel bad that I don't know how I can call the stuff I always see at the supermarket.

I heard the word *seperatör *which is similar to English seperater meaning customer stick, but I'm not sure if it's used this way. Maybe there's another term that we were too lazy to coin a new Turkish word and borrowed from French again. I'll have to ask the lady at the supermarket this time.


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## ireney

I have to ask the lady at the counter too. We usually refer to it by a whatever term (stick, thingy, whatyoumaycallit) ".... that says next customer on it". If we feel like using "posh"  language we'll probably say something like "I put the separator that says 'next customer'" 

Usually we see it, we use it and we don't talk about it


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## Chazzwozzer

Yeah, well, may I ask those who knows the name of this stuff that how they use/hear and learnt it? Well, now it's another silly question in the thread then, eh?


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## Kraus

In Italian:

*Barra "Cliente successivo"*


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## MingRaymond

In Cantonese,

We can call it 棍 gwan3 (stick). But I haven't seen the customer stick in the supermarkets for a long time. I think seldom HK supermarkets use it now.

Ming


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## ameana7

Chazzwozzer said:


> Now I feel bad that I don't know how I can call the stuff I always see at the supermarket.
> 
> I heard the word *seperatör *which is similar to English seperater meaning customer stick, but I'm not sure if it's used this way. Maybe there's another term that we were too lazy to coin a new Turkish word and borrowed from French again. I'll have to ask the lady at the supermarket this time.


 
Actually, the name of the stick is written on it: "Sıradaki Müşteri" which means something really simple: "next customer".  So no need to ask the staff!  But, I haven't heard the word "seperatör".


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## linguist786

robbie_SWE said:


> Maybe I should explain myself: here in Sweden when you put all your products (that you're buying) on the "*treadmill*" at the counter, you put a stick with the words "next customer" behind all your products, so that the next customer can start unloading his/her products.


We call it a_ conveyor belt _


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## jazyk

I have no idea what to call it in Portuguese.  Separador maybe?


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## robbie_SWE

linguist786 said:


> We call it a_ conveyor belt _


 
Thank you! Should've known, it was on the tip of my tongue! 

 robbie


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## Chazzwozzer

ameana7 said:


> Actually, the name of the stick is written on it: "Sıradaki Müşteri" which means something really simple: "next customer".  So no need to ask the staff!  But, I haven't heard the word "seperatör".


Then separatör is not used that way. So, we might well say "*Sıradaki müşteri çubuğu* nerede?," right?

Hmmm... I have to look at that stuff when I'm at Tansaş or Gima because I really don't remember if it was written on it or not.


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## linguist786

robbie_SWE said:


> Thank you! Should've known, it was on the tip of my tongue!
> 
> robbie


Haha ye.. I smiled when I read _treadmill_ - that's what we do exercise on!  Unless you wanna stand on one of them in a supermarket and start exercising, best to stick with_ conveyor belt_


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## Banana24

hej, jag ar inte helt saker om det finns ett namn for det har in Nya Zeeland, en 'kund pinne, eller stav" finns, men man skulle nog bara saja "divider" tror jag. Min mamma, (som ar Svensk) sajer att hon har aldrig hort av en "Kund Stav". Jobbar du i kassan nanstans?
Banana24


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## robbie_SWE

Banana24 said:


> hej, jag ar inte helt saker om det finns ett namn for det har in Nya Zeeland, en 'kund pinne, eller stav" finns, men man skulle nog bara saja "divider" tror jag. Min mamma, (som ar Svensk) sajer att hon har aldrig hort av en "Kund Stav". Jobbar du i kassan nanstans?
> Banana24


 
Nej, det gör jag inte. Men jag hörde det på radion, det var någon som ringde in och frågade vad "pinnen med nästa kund tack!" hette, i.a.o. vad dess officiella namn var. Programledaren ringde till Icas talesman (eller rättare sagt -kvinna) för konsumentfrågor och hon sa att den hette "kund pinne" eller "kund stav". Detta var i alla fall vad hon hade hört från kunderna själva och vad pinnen kallas för när de beställer den hos underleverantörerna. Jag har själv aldrig ens tänkt på detta förrän jag hörde henne säga det och det är därför jag ställde denna fråga här. Själv har jag ingen benämning för ”pinnen”. 

 robbie


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## Banana24

robbie_SWE said:


> Nej, det gör jag inte. Men jag hörde det på radion, det var någon som ringde in och frågade vad "pinnen med nästa kund tack!" hette, i.a.o. vad dess officiella namn var. Programledaren ringde till Icas talesman (eller rättare sagt -kvinna) för konsumentfrågor och hon sa att den hette "kund pinne" eller "kund stav". Detta var i alla fall vad hon hade hört från kunderna själva och vad pinnen kallas för när de beställer den hos underleverantörerna. Jag har själv aldrig ens tänkt på detta förrän jag hörde henne säga det och det är därför jag ställde denna fråga här. Själv har jag ingen benämning för ”pinnen”.
> 
> robbie


 
jaha, man lar sej nagonting varge dag! Om jag flyttar till sverige kan man nu fa jobb i kassan om jag behover det! 
Nu har jag antiligen den riktigha for en kund stav, det ar: "customer Divider", sa dar har du det!


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## robbie_SWE

Tack så mycket Banana24! Du är välkommen tillbaks till Sverige, men förhoppnigsvis slipper du jobba i kassan.  

 robbie


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## Banana24

robbie_SWE said:


> Tack så mycket Banana24! Du är välkommen tillbaks till Sverige, men förhoppnigsvis slipper du jobba i kassan.
> 
> robbie


Man skulle tro det! Hur sajer man "you are welcome"?
 Nej jag kommer tilbaka i jul, sa jag far bli battre da!


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## robbie_SWE

Banana24 said:


> Man skulle tro det! Hur sajer man "you are welcome"?
> Nej jag kommer tilbaka i jul, sa jag far bli battre da!


 
På svenska eller. Då är det "varsågod". 

 robbie


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## Encolpius

*Czech*: *dělítko *


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## bibax

Full expressions: *pokladní dělítko* = checkout divider; *oddělovač zboží* = goods/items separator;

*Dělítko* usually means _dividing line_ (like in: _"the *dividing line* between reality and fiction is blurred"= *dělítko* ...)_.


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## Encolpius

Next time I am at the check-out will ask the Ukrainian shop assistant what they call it in Czech slang.


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## SuperXW

We generally don't use it in China.
I've been living in the US and seen how many things one could buy in the supermarket. Using the stick is understandable.
However, since most Chinese won't drive a car to buy tons of stuffs, it is usually easier for the cashier to separate the things. (The “conveyor belt”, the cart, the goods, and the supermarket itself...everything is smaller so it's easier to be managed, I think.)


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## 810senior

Japanese: 仕切り棒(stanchion) may fit in. I've got no idea what this kind of stick is officially called.


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