[jgibson]

The article claims: "In the cities of New Zealand and Australia, the convenience store is known as a milk bar"

As a native kiwi, I've never ever heard it called a "milk bar". Dairy is the more common term. What say you aussies?

[Taniwha]

Milk Bar is a word from NZ of the '50s, we don't use "superette" either - they've always been "dairys".

Prior to the mid-70s we had few if any supermarkets - everyone had a local dairy (general store) and a local butcher, as well as daily milk deliveries to the house. These days our cities are full of corner stores converted into cheap flats, there are none left within walking distance from here, but 2-3 that I regularly visit.

[LIV2]

Aussie with a kiwi wife here. She says they only ever called it a Dairy

At least in semi-rural NSW I've only ever used "corner shop" or these days it's generally a "servo" but never a "milk bar"

Must be a Melbourne or Adelaide thing those guys are weird

[ElCapitanMarkla]

I haven't heard that term for a while. Back in my home town in NZ we had 3 dairies. The original dairy which would have been around since the 50s was known as the "Milk Bar".

[elliottkember]

Same here. I think once again we've been lumped in with the Australians.

[kibibu]

Aussie here. Definitely always called them milk bars.

Most of them have closed though, given that more people have cars and are willing to drive a bit further to save a dollar on their loaf of bread at the supermarket.

[cam_l]

Yeah, still called them milko's in the 80s, even though milk was delivered to your door. By the 90s both the milk runs and the milko's were gone.

The only ones i remember surviving were also takeaways. Which now that i think about it, is probably also a colloquialism.

[comradesmith]

Yep, only ever called them dairies, and in NZ every residential neighbourhood in towns big and small has one. It's not just a big city thing as the artical suggests it may be for other nations.

[Mesmoria]

Milk bar is an older term, maybe 50's and 60's. We only ever call these places "The Shop" - not very romantic.

Australian.

[minikomi]

Deli in SA