[General] meaning of on sale

[goodstudent]

Hi,

What does "on sale" mean?

Does it mean that the item can be sold, or does it mean the item is selling lower than its normal retail price?

 

[Rover_KE]

It could mean either of those. The context will decide.

 

[goodstudent]

If I pass by a shop and the there is a board that says "bags on sale", or "beer on sale", normally what would it mean?

 

[Barb_D]

In the US, that sign would mean they were at a discounted price.

 

[emsr2d2]

In the UK, it would probably simply mean that those items are available to buy in that shop.

 

[Barb_D]

US commentary only:
The "on sale" and "for sale" confusion is that "on sale" does have a "for sale" meaning, but that's usually when something is first released. If you were waiting for a favorite author's new book, you would be happy to see the bookstore have a sign that says "Title of Book" now on sale! In that case, it doesn't mean a discounted price, but that it's now available. The iPhone 5 might have had "now on sale here" signs when it was first released as well.

If you were in the store and asked "Do you have widgets for sale?" the question means "Do you sell them?"
If you asked "Do you have widgets on sale?" the question means "Are they cheaper than usual."
If you just asked "Do sell widgets?" and the clerk replied "They're on sale in Aisle 2" you can expect them to be discounted.