What difference is there between ディスカウント and バーゲン?


What difference is there between ディスカウント and バーゲン?

In English, the verb "Discount" is commonly used when talking about a
corporate store deciding without any negotiation with the buyer to reduce the
price of products without any negotiations taking place with the customer.
(Though it isn't unheard of to be used in other contexts) By contrast, the
verb "Bargain" is generally used for the seller and the buyer, usually at a
non-corporate store, arguing about what the price of an item should be.

The noun "Bargain" can be used about an item bought for a low price,
regardless of whether the low price was the result of a negotiation, or not
the result of a negotiation.

However, I've been told that "ディスカウント" and "バーゲン" don't have the same
relationship in Japanese. That is, "ディスカウント(する)" as a verb can be done by the
seller after negotiation between the buyer and the seller, and "バーゲン" can be
the result of a corporate store reducing prices without any negotiation. Is
this true?




Answering the question without looking at anything....

Let us start with 「バーゲン」 because it is the simpler of the two in terms of
meaning and usage. Quite simply, it means "a store-wide clearance sale" in
retail. It is a considerably larger event than a 「セール」, which may be limited
to certain sections or items in the store. We have another common word
「バーゲンセール」, which means exactly the same thing as 「バーゲン」.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/y97ZA.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/y97ZA.jpg)  
(source: [living.jp](http://mrs.living.jp/wp-
content/uploads/2013/12/rara.jpg))

Except for when the likes of critics, economists and such use terms like
「バーゲニングパワー」、「バーゲニングチップ」, etc. in their technical discussions, the word 「バーゲン」
would only mean what I stated above in Japanese.

Now, on to 「ディスカウント」, which is somewhat more complicated than 「バーゲン」 as far as
usage. Unlike 「バーゲン」, which is only used in retail, 「ディスカウント」 can be used at
all levels of business --- direct sale by producer, wholesale and retail. You
sell something at a reduced price, that is called 「ディスカウント」.

As a verb phrase, you can say 「ディスカウント（を）する」 instead of using the more
traditional 「[値引]{ねび}きする」. Unlike a 「バーゲン」, where items are sold at reduced
prices WITHOUT negotiation between seller and buyer, 「ディスカウント」 can occur both
ways --- with or without negotiation. In this sense, there is some very rough
overlap in meaning between the two words. There is, however, basically no
interchangeability between the two words.

As @Choko mentioned in the comment, 「ディスカウント」 is often used in the compound
「ディスカウントストアー」. It refers to a business like ドンキホーテ where things are sold at
reduced prices all year around.




Answering the question without looking at anything....

Let us start with 「バーゲン」 because it is the simpler of the two in terms of
meaning and usage. Quite simply, it means "a store-wide clearance sale" in
retail. It is a considerably larger event than a 「セール」, which may be limited
to certain sections or items in the store. We have another common word
「バーゲンセール」, which means exactly the same thing as 「バーゲン」.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/y97ZA.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/y97ZA.jpg)  
(source: [living.jp](http://mrs.living.jp/wp-
content/uploads/2013/12/rara.jpg))

Except for when the likes of critics, economists and such use terms like
「バーゲニングパワー」、「バーゲニングチップ」, etc. in their technical discussions, the word 「バーゲン」
would only mean what I stated above in Japanese.

Now, on to 「ディスカウント」, which is somewhat more complicated than 「バーゲン」 as far as
usage. Unlike 「バーゲン」, which is only used in retail, 「ディスカウント」 can be used at
all levels of business --- direct sale by producer, wholesale and retail. You
sell something at a reduced price, that is called 「ディスカウント」.

As a verb phrase, you can say 「ディスカウント（を）する」 instead of using the more
traditional 「[値引]{ねび}きする」. Unlike a 「バーゲン」, where items are sold at reduced
prices WITHOUT negotiation between seller and buyer, 「ディスカウント」 can occur both
ways --- with or without negotiation. In this sense, there is some very rough
overlap in meaning between the two words. There is, however, basically no
interchangeability between the two words.

As @Choko mentioned in the comment, 「ディスカウント」 is often used in the compound
「ディスカウントストアー」. It refers to a business like ドンキホーテ where things are sold at
reduced prices all year around.

