Groceries

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store in Houston, Texas is an example of a supermarket.A grocery store is a store established primarily for the retailing of food. You buy food at a grocery store. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells them to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are called supermarkets. Small grocery stores that mainly sell fruits and vegetables are known as produce markets (U.S) or greengrocers (Britain), and small grocery stores that predominantly sell snack foods and sandwiches are known as convenience stores or delicatessens.

History , circa 1909.

The first grocery stores were set up as trading posts, which sold not only food but clothing, household items, tools, furniture, and other miscellaneous merchandise. These trading posts evolved into larger retail businesses known as general stores. These facilities generally dealt in "dry" goods such as flour, dry beans, baking soda, and canned foods. Fresh meat was obtained from a butcher, milk from a local dairy, eggs and vegetables were either produced by families themselves or bartered for with neighbors.

Modern grocers—like supermarkets, greengrocers, and convenience stores—are descended from general stores. Many rural areas still contain general stores which sell goods from indigenous cigars to imported napkins. In certain places, these may also handle goods deemed illegal by the local authority. These stores normally offer credit facility, a system of payment which works on trust rather than current day credit cards. In the past, this allowed farm families to buy staple products until the harvest arrived.

International The business of grocery stores varies from nation to nation; however, the stores are all similar in their principle selling of edible goods. The nature of these goods varies with local availability and traditional diet.

Europe Because many European cities (Rome, for example) are already so dense in population and buildings, large supermarkets, in the American sense, will almost undoubtedly never replace the local grocery store. However, 'Metro' stores have been appearing in town and city centres in many countries, leading to the decline of independent smaller stores, and large out-of-town supermarkets and hypermarkets, such as Tesco in the United Kingdom, have been steadily sapping the trade from smaller stores.

United States American grocery stores are set up in different styles ranging from rural family-owned, such as IGA (supermarkets)s, to urban or suburban boutique chains, such as Whole Foods Market.The establishment of "all-in-one" hypermarkets such as Wal-Mart and Target Corporation has forced consolidation among the grocery business. The global buying power of such companies has put an increased financial burden on traditional local grocery stores as well as the national supermarket chains.

When a small grocery store is in competition with large supermarkets, the grocery store often creates its own niche market by selling unique, premium quality, or ethnic foods that cannot be easily found in a supermarket. A grocery store may also compete by being located in a mixed commercial-residential area that is close to, and convenient for, its customers.

Some local grocers distinguish themselves from larger supermarkets by providing ready-made foods such as sandwiches, hot dogs, and ice cream. Although large chains have begun to add food service, smaller grocery stores have an advantage in that they can generally provide fresher and cheaper prepared foods, and a less busy environment in which to eat them.

Cultural impact Many grocery stores that carry a type of food from a certain culture such as Italian culture or Middle-Eastern have served as gathering points for many immigrants. Supermarkets have also eliminated the need for speciality stores. Also, many teenagers find their first job at grocery stores.

Notable grocery stores See List of supermarkets for more grocery stores and supermarkets. Some notable grocery stores include Albertsons, ALDI, Herbie's, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Fred Meyer, Loeb (supermarket), Loblaws, IGA (supermarkets), The Big Apple, Farm Boy, H-E-B, Cumberland Farms, Save-a-Lot, Save-On-Foods, Brookshire Grocery Company, Kroger, Bi-Lo, Piggly Wiggly, Giant Eagle, Hy-Vee, Safeway Inc., Schnucks, QFC, Stewart's Shops, Stop & Shop, Shoprite, AP Fresh, Trader Joe's, Pathmark, Key Food, The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Acme Markets, Publix, Food Lion, Delhaize Group, Waldbaum's, Wegmans, Haggen, Reasor Llc, ASDA, Morrisons, Winn-Dixie, Somerfield (UK retailer), Harris Teeter, Whole Foods Market, Meijer, Fresh Market, Smith's Food and Drug, Vons, Ralphs, Copps, and Sobeys.

Consumer spending The US Labor Department has calcuated that food purchased at home and in restaurants are 13 percent of household purchases, behind 32 percent for housing and 18 percent for transportation. The average US family spent $280 per month or $3,305 per year at grocery stores in 2004. The newsletter Dollar Stretcher survey found $149 a month for a single person, $257 for a couple and $396 for a family of four.

See also

Convenience store
Greengrocer
Grocer
Supermarket