shopgirl

American  

[shop-gurl] / ˈʃɒpˌgɜrl /

noun

1. a salesgirl; female store clerk.

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Usage

What does shopgirl mean? Shopgirl was once commonly used as a word for a girl or woman whose job is to sell products or help customers in a retail shop.The term is often considered outdated and demeaning due to the use of the word girl when such workers are often women. The same is the case for the synonym salesgirl.The terms salesclerk, salesperson, and sales rep (or sales representative) can be used to mean the same thing without specifying gender.

Etymology

Origin of shopgirl

First recorded in 1760–70; shop + girl

Example Sentences

A lawyer falls for a shopgirl whose co-worker gets her into trouble with the law.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2019

Her uncle knew a buyer at Ron Herman, an upscale clothing store, and helped Weinraub secure a shopgirl position.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 29, 2016

Instead, Haynes deploys the cinematic conventions of the past to suggest the social constraints that governed same-sex affairs like the one between Rooney Mara’s lovelorn shopgirl and Cate Blanchett’s unhappily married matron.

From Slate • Jan. 5, 2016

Carol is asked before absconding west with her shopgirl.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2015

I saw one shopgirl go by in a ball gown with the ruffles sounding crisp in the morning air.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep