ESL Podcast 464 - Talking About Inventory
foreman - a person whose job is to be in charge of other people, especially in a construction project or in a factory
If you have any complaints, take them to the foreman and he will talk to the managers.
listen up - a phrase used to ask people to stop speaking and begin listening to oneself
Listen up! I have some important announcements to make.
warehouse - a large building where things are kept until they are moved to stores where they will be sold
Don't forget to request a new shipment of rice from the warehouse.
stock - the total number of products that are being kept somewhere until they are sold
Their stock is so poorly organized that they don't know how many items they can send to the stores.
supplier - a company that makes something and sells it to another company
That company is the nation's leading supplier of bicycles.
to store - to keep or hold something in a safe place until it is ready to be used or sent somewhere else
Where do you store your winter coats during the summer?
retail outlet - a store where individuals (not companies) can go to buy things
Which retail outlets sell the printers that our factory makes?
economies of scale - the idea that one can save money by doing something in a big way or by making many things at once
Thanks to economies of scale, big companies can produce things much less expensively than small companies can.
in bulk - bought in very large quantities; buying many at one time
We could save money if we bought fruit in bulk, but it would spoil before we could eat it all.
to catalogue - to list everything in a group and divide it into categories or sections
How long did it take for the library to catalogue all those books?
consignment - the process where one person or business sells something for another person or business and receives part of the money made from the sale
When she lost a lot of weight, she decided to sell her old clothes on consignment and she got 30% of the sales price.
supply chain - the manufacturers, transportation companies, warehouses, and retail stores that are involved in making, storing, shipping, and selling a particular product
How many companies are in the supply chain for this product?
to distribute - to give things to other people or companies, especially when talking about sending products to stores where they will be sold
Their company distributes fresh meat to almost all the restaurants in the city.
to go missing - to become lost; to not have one's location be known
When the child went missing, the police started asking all the neighbors if they had seen him that day.
under (one's) watch - while one is responsible for something; while one is working; while one is in charge of something
Hospital nurses often feel sad if someone dies under their watch.
inventory - a list of everything that is in a particular place
According to the most recent inventory, we have more than $20,000 in products, which should be enough for the next month.
unaccounted for - something that one unexpectedly has or something that is unexpectedly missing, without any explanation
At the end of the day, the cashier was surprised to have an extra $400 that was unaccounted for. She must have made a mistake.
happy camper - someone who is content or pleased with something or with a particular situation
As long as there's a pot of hot coffee when he wakes up, he's a happy camper.