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Let's say I walk up to the cashier of a store / fast food joint and say

I would like to buy a pack of gum / bag of chips / soda / hamburger etc.

I would like to get a pack of gum / bag of chips / soda / hamburger etc.

Can I use both get and buy here?

I'm asking because I often see this phrase:

Can I get a pack of gum / hamburger etc.

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You can use both sentences and will be understood. You can also say:

I'd like {a pack of gum / a bag of chips / a soda / a hamburger} etc.

There's no need for an infinitive: the assumption is that you will pay for what you get or that you are entitled to whatever you're asking for without having to pay for it.

Would like to buy and would like to get are sometimes interchangeable, but only when they mean the same thing: I want to buy and pay for. In her famous song Mercedes Benz, Janis Joplin sings:

Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

She wants to get a Benz, but she doesn't want to buy one: she wants "the Lord" to buy it for her and give it to her.

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    Sorry for off-topic disturbing! In that example by you I see the "buy me". Is it correct to use it instead of buy for me?
    – Persian Cat
    Commented May 9, 2013 at 14:41
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    @Persian: Yes, it's perfectly correct and perfectly idiomatic. The other natural option is "Oh Lord, won't you buy a Mercedes Benz for me?", not "Oh Lord, won't you buy for me a Mercedes Benz?" What happens when the indirect object is moved between the verb and the direct object is that the preposition is deleted: "I bought some flowers for you" vs. "I bought you some flowers".
    – user264
    Commented May 9, 2013 at 14:46
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A sentence like "Where did you get that skirt?" would be understood as "Where did you buy that skirt?"

Generally speaking, "to get something" means "to obtain something"; if you talk to a cashier, and say you would like to get something, the cashier will understand you want to buy something.

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Buy 3 - get 1 free..
OP wanted to know if "get" and "buy" can be used interchangeably.

I would like to buy a pack of gum / bag of chips / soda / hamburger etc.
I would like to get a pack of gum / bag of chips / soda / hamburger etc.

Dictionary meaning.
Let's examine what the Cambridge Dictionary says.

to buy something
These words mean to get something in exchange for money.
The most common word for this is buy, which can be used in most situations. Get is another common word that can be used instead of buy.
I need to buy some new shoes.
I need to go to the supermarket and get some bread.

So the answer to OP's query is - Yes. Get can be used in place of buy.

Are "get" and "buy" interchangeable?.
"Interchangeable" also means that "buy" can be used in place of "get.".
Although it is obvious that you are using "get" to mean "buy," this does not necessarily imply that you paid for it.
For example:
Buy 3 - get 1 free..
A clothing store in our town occasionally runs a promotion on ready-made shirts in this manner. It means you have to pay for three shirts but get the fourth for free. (Get four shirts for the price of three).
The word "get" can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

Consider the following two sentences:
1."I will get you a sandwich.".
The sentence could be spoken:
i)by someone who wants to purchase a sandwich for a colleague.
ii)a wife who is going to prepare a sandwich for her husband.
2."I got the iPhone from the Apple store.".
This might be a statement
I)from a genuine buyer
ii)a shoplifter who took it without paying.

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  • You are dredging up these old questions and in fact, here, are somewhat off the mark. get means many things including to buy. A wife making a sandwich for a husband would only use get if that wife had to go somewhere to obtain in. As in: She is in the garden and has to go into the house.
    – Lambie
    Commented Jul 26 at 13:12
  • @Lambie If the husband is in the living room or any other room I.e. not in the kitchen. This is a very common phrase.
    – James Mathai
    Commented Jul 26 at 14:14

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