buy at a department store vs buy in a department store

Both phrases are commonly used in English, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Buy at a department store' is more commonly used when referring to the act of purchasing something from a specific store, while 'buy in a department store' is used when talking about the location where the purchase takes place.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 1964 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"buy at a department store"

This phrase is used when referring to the act of purchasing something from a specific store, emphasizing the location of the purchase.

Examples:

I always buy my clothes at the department store.
You can buy a variety of products at the department store.
She prefers to buy gifts at the department store.
They decided to buy furniture at the department store.
He needs to buy some new shoes at the department store.

Show examples from the web [+]

What's more, I have been known to buy clothing in department stores.
I bought it at a department store.
I bought them at a department store
Single, works at a cosmetic counter at a department store downtown.
Eight hours a day at a department store, and then... back home, make dinner for us.
I ever could have hoped for, if I advocated exchanging presents, which I don't, but... I want to give you something that I did not get at a department store.
I could also get a job in town, at a department store, for example.
You don't want to spend the rest of your life at a department store.
For instance, if I go into a department store and buy something there it is.
A Stanford MBA named Roy Raymond wants to buy his wife some lingerie, but he's too embarrassed to shop for it in a department store.
Bums camping outside a department store.
When Ma enters a department store, she turns into Michael Jordan.
Girl, dallying is considered a sin in a department store.
I even did it in a department store once.
It looks like a department store mannequin.
They got a department store back here.
This is not a toddler wandering around a department store.
And then a department store in the late '60s.
A textile buyer for a department store chain.
Girl, dallying is considered a sin in a department store.

Alternatives:

purchase at a department store
shop at a department store
get at a department store
acquire at a department store
procure at a department store

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"buy in a department store"

This phrase is used when talking about the location where the purchase takes place, emphasizing the physical store as the place of the transaction.

Examples:

I like to buy my groceries in a department store.
They bought a new TV in the department store.
She found a beautiful dress in the department store.
He always buys his books in the department store.
We can buy school supplies in the department store.

Show examples from the web [+]

What's more, I have been known to buy clothing in department stores.
A Stanford MBA named Roy Raymond wants to buy his wife some lingerie, but he's too embarrassed to shop for it in a department store.
Girl, dallying is considered a sin in a department store.
I even did it in a department store once.
Girl, dallying is considered a sin in a department store.
I once sold men's fragrances in a department store.
She hit a child in a department store.
We set out to build a cathedral and ended up in a department store.
In a department store, that's where I met you.
You know very well you can't smoke in a department store.
It didn't last long, they found me in a department store.
Do not defy me. Defying is the worst of sins in a department store.
What is required in a department store is a degree of humanity.
There was an incident in a department store.
That's why we come to work in a department store.
You can do a show in a schoolroom, in an airport, - in a department store window.
But on the real, last time somebody was following me around like that, I was in a department store.
Mom, did you hit a kid in a department store?
For instance, if I go into a department store and buy something there it is.
What experience have you had in a department store?

Alternatives:

purchase in a department store
shop in a department store
get in a department store
acquire in a department store
procure in a department store

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buy at a department store vs buy in a department store