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Instead of "Does this store sell/have X" or "Has this store got X?", can it be:

Has this store kept X?

And for someone who wants to open a store and isn't sure as to what he should sell (or have in his store), can it be:

What can I keep in my store?

(What can I have in my store?/ What can I sell in my store?)

List of stuff you can have in your store:

I'm directly translating it, but I have a pretty strong feeling that "keep" doesn't sound natural here. Am I right in thinking so?

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  • "Does this store stock X?" or "Does this store have X in stock?" would be more idiomatic.
    – Davo
    Sep 23, 2020 at 17:34
  • So @Davo "keep doesn't work in both the contexts, right? Sep 23, 2020 at 19:00
  • I think keep would be understandable, but you would ask "Do you keep X?", not "Have you kept". Sep 24, 2020 at 8:16

1 Answer 1

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Has the store kept X?

This implies that the store had X at some time in the past, and you're asking if it still has X.

Does the store stock X?

This is simply asking if the store normally keeps X in inventory.

Does the store have X in stock?

This is asking if X is currently available for purchase, regardless of whether it is normally kept in inventory.

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What can I keep in my store?

This is not a normal question - are you asking if you can keep your lunch there, or if you can keep your dog there while you work, or what items you can offer?

What products can I keep in inventory?

This is a better way to ask if that's really what you want to know. Perhaps other items are special-order only, or not available at all.

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List of stuff I can have in my store:

See above.

Note, this is from an AmE perspective.

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  • So does "have" work instead of "sell" in the second context? Sep 24, 2020 at 5:15
  • I don't understand your question, but in general, any items a store has, it has for sale.
    – Davo
    Sep 24, 2020 at 13:30

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