Confusable Words #1 sale, bargain etc.

These words are difficult to use correctly:
reduced      discount      sale      bargain

これらは、使い方を間違いやすい単語です。

They are all related to shopping, so they are similar.
If the shop has changed the price to a lower price, the item is ‘reduced’.

お店が価格を下げたものは、reduced

If the shop is having an event with many reduced prices, it is a ‘sale’.

イベントとして、たくさんの品物の価格を下げると、　sale

If you find an item at a really low price it is a ‘bargain’.

もしあなたが、安くていい買い物をしたと思うものは、　bargain

‘Bargain’ is also a verb, meaning to ‘negotiate’.

バーゲンは交渉という意味もあります。

If you can get a lower price for a special reason, it is a ‘discount’.

もし何か理由があって、割引を受けたなら　discount

学生割引、シニア割引、まとめ買いでの割引（10個買ったら10%引など）、

For example, you can get a student discount, or a retired person’s discount. Another example is if you buy in bulk – this means buying many at one time – “This item is $20, but if you buy ten, you get a 10% discount.”
If you want the shop to reduce the price for you, you can say ‘Please make it cheaper’, not ‘Please discount.’

お店で値引きの交渉をする場合は、　Please discount. ではなく、Please make it cheaper.　です。

There is no need to use ‘bargain sale’, because every item in the sale is a bargain – it is just a ‘sale’.

バーゲンセールではなく、sale　 といいます。