profiteer / fleecer or ?

[English Freak]

Hi,

I'm looking for the best and most common word for "a shopkeeper / salesperson who sells everything at high and unfair prices".
profiteer / fleecer or ?

[billmcd]

Hi,

I'm looking for the best and most common word for "a shopkeeper / salesperson who sells everything at high and unfair prices".
profiteer / fleecer or ?

AmE: Scalper.

[English Freak]

Thanks, but isn't it only used to describe a person who makes money by buying tickets and reselling them at a very high price?
Is it ok to say "The grocer in our neighborhood is a real scalper"? I want to associate that word with such a situation.

[billmcd]

Thanks, but isn't it only used to describe a person who makes money by buying tickets and reselling them at a very high price?
Is it ok to say "The grocer in our neighborhood is a real scalper"? I want to associate that word with such a situation.

You are correct that the term is typically used in reference to selling/reselling tickets, but not unusual to describe anyone who overcharges for a product or service.

[I'm With Stupid]

I've never heard of the term scalper. I'd just say that the shop is a rip off.

[BobK]

Or

'Count your change when you leave that shop, they're a bunch of spivs.' (Br Eng, and maybe a bit old-fashioned - I think the original 'spivs' were black-marketeers during wartime rationing.)

b

[Tdol]

Thanks, but isn't it only used to describe a person who makes money by buying tickets and reselling them at a very high price?

In BrE, you can use (ticket) tout for this.

Is it ok to say "The grocer in our neighborhood is a real scalper"? I want to associate that word with such a situation.

It sounds more natural to me to talk, like I'm With Stupid, of a shop being a rip-off, but you could say that the grocer is a rip-off merchant.