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Thread: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

  1. #1
    moonlike's Avatar
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    Default Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    Hi
    In my country we call this POS (although we have coined an equivalent for that). Do you call it POS as well? Are there any other equivalents for that? When we want to pay we just simply say: "Excuse me, do you have a POS?" and then if the answer is yes, we pay by card. Do you also use it in this way? If yes do you pronounce it as /poz/?
    Thanks a lot.
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    Quote Originally Posted by moonlike View Post
    Hi
    In my country we call this POS (although we have coined an equivalent for that). Do you call it POS as well? Are there any other equivalents for that? When we want to pay we just simply say: "Excuse me, do you have a POS?" and then if the answer is yes, we pay by card. Do you also use it in this way? If yes do you pronounce it as /poz/?
    Thanks a lot.
    Attachment 1311
    I've never heard of "POS".
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    Quote Originally Posted by bhaisahab View Post
    I've never heard of "POS".
    Really! I found that it stands for "Point Of Sale". It seems that it's not an English word by itself. I thought it's an international abbreviation. So could you kindly tell me what you call it? Imagine when you go shopping and you want to make sure the shopkeeper has this gadget or not, instead of just saying "can I pay by card?" what other things do you typically say? I mean if you want to say if the shopkeeper has one of these things?
    Thanks a lot.
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    Quote Originally Posted by moonlike View Post
    Really! I found that it stands for "Point Of Sale". It seems that it's not an English word by itself. I thought it's an international abbreviation. So could you kindly tell me what you call it? Imagine when you go shopping and you want to make sure the shopkeeper has this gadget or not, instead of just saying "can I pay by card?" what other things do you typically say? I mean if you want to say if the shopkeeper has one of these things?
    Thanks a lot.
    I would say "Can I pay by card?". The machine in the picture is called a "chip and pin reader."
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    It's so common to use your debit (or credit card) to pay for things here that you rarely need to even ask. Even fast food restaurants have that capability. We would call that a credit card scanner or a debit card reader. Aside from the drive through window, I use my debit card almost exclusively. Cash? What's that?
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    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    I can use my debit card or credit card at a drive through.

    People who make cash registers or other business machines, etc. refer to "point of sale" or POS, but it's not used by normal people.

    I think many people would hear POS and think "piece of s@#t," like "that used car is a complete POS."
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    I wouldn't ask if they have the relevant machine. I would just ask "Do you take cards?" or "Can I pay by card?" Some places can still accept payment using a debit/credit card even if they don't have a POS machine. I knew what POS meant but only because I have worked in shops. Even so, when we talk about one in the shop, we just call it a "card machine".
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    Here in Canada the term is also frequent, but is pronounced with all letters named.

    Quote Originally Posted by moonlike View Post
    Hi
    In my country we call this POS (although we have coined an equivalent for that). Do you call it POS as well? Are there any other equivalents for that? When we want to pay we just simply say: "Excuse me, do you have a POS?" and then if the answer is yes, we pay by card. Do you also use it in this way? If yes do you pronounce it as /poz/?
    Thanks a lot.
    Attachment 1311
    moonlike likes this.

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    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    The term exists in BrE, but is not used in everyday speech- it's jargon to me.
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    Default Re: Is "POS" a common word in every day conversation when you're shopping?

    I would add that on those rare occasions when I would use the term POS, I too would say "pee oh ess," not "paws" or "poss" to refer to it.
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    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

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