I live in a non-English speaking country where a term meaning literally “congratulations” is used when you buy something. This word is used by the salesperson or other people when they see you’ve bought something new.
As far as I have been exposed to the English language and of course to its cultural aspect, I believe saying “Congratulations” on this occasion is incorrect and English-speaking people do not use such thing in this situation. Maybe “Happy Shopping” is the best alternative.
So, Am I right about this? And, if you’re told “congratulations” when you buy something like a shirt or a handbag, won’t it sound weird or unusual to your ears?
I would say it could make sense if you’ve bought something extraordinary; say a House or something bigger! how about this time, am I right?
It’s part of the marketing of the sale by implying that your life is now better as a result of your purchase. It is the underlying concept of all marketing. If you’re dumb enough to believe it, then it’s appropriate. But it is bullshit.
Here in the US, I would expect to hear “congratulations” when someone buys a new car or a new house, but nothing really smaller. Generally for smaller items the custom is to compliment the item or the buyer’s taste – if my friend shows me his new watch, I would say, “wow, that’s a great looking watch,” the idea being that I’m telling him that he did a great job picking it out.
Yes you are correct. “Congratulations!” on the purchase of a new shirt would sound very weird. Something like “What a nice shirt!” would be far more acceptable. “Happy Shopping” sounds pretty weird as well. English doesn’t really have a generic phrase for acknowledging & observing a new purchase - you pretty much have to say something specific about the new item if you feel a need to acknowledge it.
“Congratulations” is more for accomplishments, than for acquisitions. You congratulate new parents, or newlyweds, or college graduates, or people who just got a new job, or just retired.
And yes, a major purchase such as a house would get a “Congratulations”, but that’s more because it’s a life milestone, not because it’s a large purchase. You wouldn’t normally congratulate someone who bought a new car, IME, though that wouldn’t strike me nearly as weird as the shirt scenario.
Congratulations is used when someone accomplishes something of importance, like getting a new job or graduating from school. It can be used when a major purchase like a car or a house is made because that too is somewhat of a major accomplishment. muldoonthief: Your post wasn’t there when I started typing. Honest!
Of course, if you look in half the user manuals or documentation of cheap stuff you buy, it says “CONGRATULATIONS, you’ve just bought the BEST xxxxx…”
This is just another example where a word that translates literally as something doesn’t necessarily take on all meanings of its translated form. I remember an example from the book “The Russia House”, where some Russian word generally translated to “inconvenient”. The hero keeps trying to get together with the girl, but she says it’s “inconvenient”. But it turns out that the Russian word also means “inappropriate”, so he’s left wondering whether she just mistranslated.
In this case, though, there’s no English translation for that usage. We usually just say “Thanks [for your business].”
If I was in a foreign country and heard that, I wouldn’t have any trouble understanding the intended meaning, but it would seem like an odd usage. I can see how “Congratulations” might make sense in a culture that uses barter more than Americans do, since the implication could be that your masterful bartering skills got you a good deal. But I could also see how it could be a local term that didn’t need to have a literal meaning.
To draw a parallel, it reminds me of how English speakers talk of “winning” an auction. You didn’t really win - not only are you paying for the item, but you’re paying a higher price than anyone else thought the item was worth. You wouldn’t use “win” to talk about any other purchase transaction, but that word has become our custom.
In the Midwest USA, “Congratulations” is common when you have bought something at auction – because then you have ‘won’ it from other bidders. Otherwise, it’s rather rare. Salesclerk are more likely to say something like “Thank you for your business”.
No, this is a retail thing. “Celebrate the purchase!” Last step in a four-step plan (or maybe it’s five steps–maybe even six.) Not usually phrased as congratulations but more a “You are gonna love these towels so much” kind of thing.
One could say “Enjoy!” after the purchase of say, a new item of clothing, or a computer gadget, or a book or a CD. Probably you wouldn’t say it about a cart load of groceries. (I have bought cars for less than I regularly pay for a grocery order, and no I am not THAT old.)