Supermarket
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:''This article is about a type of food store. For the 2006 comic Supermarket, see [[Supermarket (comics)]].''
[[Image:Supermarkt.jpg|right|thumb|Supermarket in [[São Paulo]]]]
[[Image:Fredmeyer edit 1.jpg|right|thumb|Packaged food aisles in a [[Fred Meyer]] store in [[Portland, Oregon]]]]
A '''supermarket''' is a [[self-service]] [[Retailing#Retail types|store]] offering a wide variety of [[food]] and household merchandise, organized into departments. It is larger in size and has a wider selection than a traditional [[grocery store]] and it is smaller than a [[hypermarket]] or [[superstore]].
The supermarket typically comprises [[meat]], fresh [[produce]], [[dairy]], and baked goods departments along with shelf space reserved for [[canning|canned]] and packaged goods as well as for various nonfood items such as household cleaners, [[pharmacy]] products, and [[pet]] supplies. Most supermarkets also sell a variety of other household products that are consumed regularly, such as [[Alcoholic beverage|alcohol]] (where permitted), household cleaning products, [[medicine]], [[clothing|clothes]], and some sell a much wider range of nonfood products.
The traditional suburban supermarket occupies a large amount of floor space, usually on a single level, and is situated near a residential area in order to be convenient to consumers. Its basic appeal is the availability of a broad selection of goods under a single roof at relatively low prices. Other advantages include ease of parking and, frequently, the convenience of shopping hours that extend far into the evening or even 24 hours a day. Supermarkets usually make massive outlays of newspaper and other advertising and often present elaborate in-store displays of products. The stores often are part of a corporate [[Chain store|chain]] that owns or controls (sometimes by [[franchising|franchise]]) other supermarkets located nearby — even transnationally — thus increasing opportunities for [[economies of scale]].
In [[North America]], supermarkets typically are supplied by the [[distribution center]]s of its [[parent company]], such as [[Loblaw Companies]] in Canada, which operates thousands of supermarkets across the nation. Loblaw operates a distribution center in every [[province]] — usually in the largest city in the province.
Supermarkets usually offer products at low prices by reducing their economic [[margin]]s. Certain products (typically [[staple foods]] such as [[bread]], [[milk]] and [[sugar]]) are frequently sold as [[loss leader]]s, that is, with negative [[profit margin]]s. To maintain a [[profit]], supermarkets attempt to make up for the lower margins by a higher overall volume of sales, and with the sale of higher-margin items. Customers usually shop by placing their selected merchandise into [[shopping cart]]s (trolleys) or baskets (self-service) and pay for the merchandise at the [[Point of sale|check-out]]. At present, many supermarket chains are attempting to further reduce [[Labor theory of value|labor costs]] by shifting to [[self checkout|self-service check-out]] machines, where a single employee can oversee a group of four or five machines at once, assisting multiple customers at a time.
A larger full-service supermarket combined with a [[department store]] is sometimes known as a [[hypermarket]]. Other services offered at some supermarkets may include those of [[bank]]s, [[Coffeehouse|cafés]], [[Day care|childcare centers/creches]], [[Photographic processing|photo processing]], [[video rental]]s, [[pharmacy|pharmacies]], and/or [[gas station]]s.
==History==
In the early days of retailing, all products generally were fetched by an assistant from shelves behind the merchant's counter while customers waited in front of the counter and indicated the items they wanted. Also, most foods and merchandise did not come in the individually wrapped consumer-size packages that we take for granted today, so an assistant had to measure out and wrap the precise amount desired by the consumer. These practices were by nature very [[labor intensity|labor-intensive]] and therefore also quite expensive. The shopping process was slow, as the number of customers who could be attended to at one time was limited by the number of clerks employed in the store.
The concept of a [[self-service]] grocery store was developed by [[United States|American]] [[entrepreneur]] [[Clarence Saunders]] and his [[Piggly Wiggly]] stores. His first store opened in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], [[Tennessee]], in 1916. Saunders was awarded a number of [[patent]]s for the ideas he incorporated into his stores<ref>http://www.google.com/patents?id=UnZhAAAAEBAJ&dq=Clarence+Saunders</ref><ref>http://www.google.com/patents?id=dPdNAAAAEBAJ</ref><ref>http://www.google.com/patents?id=HjBBAAAAEBAJ&dq=Clarence+Saunders</ref><ref>http://www.google.com/patents?id=2dd5AAAAEBAJ&dq=Clarence+Saunders</ref>. The stores were a financial success and Saunders began to offer franchises. [[The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company|The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P)]] was another successful early grocery store chain in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]], and became common in [[North America]]n cities in the 1920s. The general trend in retail since then has been to stock shelves at night so that customers, the following day, can obtain their own goods and bring them to the [[front end|front of the store]] to pay for them. Although there is a higher risk of [[shoplifting]], the costs of appropriate security measures ideally will be outweighed by the increased [[economies of scale]] and reduced labor costs.
Early self-service grocery stores did not sell fresh meats or produce. Combination stores that sold perishable items were developed in the 1920s.<ref>Strasser, Susan ''Never Done: A History of American Housework'' Holt Paperbacks, 2000.</ref>
According to the [[Smithsonian Institution]], the first true supermarket in the United States was opened by a former [[Kroger]] employee, [[Michael J. Cullen]], on [[August 4]], [[1930]], inside a 6,000 square foot (560 m²) former garage in [[Jamaica, Queens]] in [[New York City]].<ref>Anonymous, "The place where supermarketing was born," ''Mass Market Retailers'' 19, no. 9 (17 June 2002): 172.</ref> The store, [[King Kullen]], (inspired by the fictional character [[King Kong]]), operated under the slogan "Pile it high. Sell it low." At the time of Cullen's death in 1941, there were seventeen King Kullen stores in operation.
[[Image:Safeway50s.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]] advertisement from the 1950s.]]
Other established American grocery chains in the 1930s, such as [[Kroger]] and [[Safeway Inc.|Safeway]], at first resisted Cullen's idea, but eventually were forced to build their own supermarkets as the economy sank into the [[Great Depression]] and consumers became price-sensitive at a level never experienced before.<ref>Ryan Mathews, "1926-1936: entrepreneurs and enterprise: a look at industry pioneers like King Kullen and J. Frank Grimes, and the institution they created (Special Report: Social Change & the Supermarket)," ''Progressive Grocer'' 75, no. 12 (December 1996): 39-43.</ref> Kroger took the idea one step further and pioneered the first supermarket surrounded on all four sides by a [[parking lot]].
Supermarkets proliferated across Canada and the United States with the growth of [[suburb|suburban development]] after [[World War II]]. Most North American supermarkets are located in suburban [[strip mall]]s as an anchor store along with other, smaller retailers. They are generally regional rather than national in their company [[brand]]ing. Kroger is perhaps the most nationally oriented supermarket chain in the United States but it has preserved most of its regional brands, including [[Ralphs]], [[City Market]] and [[King Soopers]].
In Canada the largest such chain is [[Loblaw Companies|Loblaw]], which operates stores under a variety of regional names, including [[Fortinos]], [[Zehrs]] and the largest [[Loblaws]] (named after the company itself). [[Sobeys]] is Canada's second largest supermarket with locations across the country, operating under many banners (Sobeys IGA in [[Quebec]]). Today, supermarkets are found around the world in dozens of countries.
In the 1950s supermarkets frequently issued [[trading stamp]]s as incentives to customers. Today, most chains issue store-specific "membership cards," "club cards," or "[[loyalty card]]s". These typically enable the card holder to receive special members-only discounts on certain items when the credit card-like device is scanned at check-out.
Traditional supermarkets in many countries face intense competition from [[discount retailer]]s such as [[Wal-Mart]], [[Asda]] in the UK, and [[Zellers]] in Canada, which typically are non-[[trade union|union]] and operate with better buying power. Other competition exists from [[warehouse clubs]] such as [[Costco]] that offer savings to customers buying in bulk quantities. [[Superstores]], such as those operated by Wal-Mart and Asda, often offer a wide range of goods and services in addition to foods. The proliferation of such warehouse and superstores has contributed to the continuing disappearance of smaller, local grocery stores, increased dependence on the [[automobile]], suburban sprawl because of the necessity for large floorplates, and increased vehicular traffic and air pollution. Some critics consider the chains' common practice of selling [[loss leader]]s to be anti-competitive. They are also wary of the negotiating power that large, often [[multinational corporation|multinational]], retailers have with suppliers around the world.
== Typical supermarket merchandise ==
[[Image:Supermarket check out.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Supermarket front end]]
[[Image:JapaneseFruit.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[Fruit]] on display in a supermarket in [[Japan]].]]
Larger supermarkets in [[North America]] and [[Western Europe]] typically sell a great number of items among many [[brand]]s, sizes and varieties, including:
* [[Alcoholic beverage]]s (as [[state]]/[[province|provincial]] and/or local laws allow)
* [[Baby food]]s and baby-care products such as [[disposable diapers]]
* [[Bread]]s and [[bakery]] products (many stores may have a bakery on site that offers specialty and dessert items)
* [[Book]]s, [[newspaper]]s, and [[magazine]]s, including [[supermarket tabloid]]s
* Bulk dried foods such as [[legume]]s, [[flour]], [[rice]], etc. (typically available for [[self-service]])
* [[canning|Canned goods]] and dried [[cereal]]s
* Car-care products ([[motor oil]], cleaners, [[wax]]es)
* [[CD]]s, [[DVD]]s, and [[Videotape|videos]] (including [[Renting|video rentals]])
* [[Tea]] and [[Coffee]] (some stores may have a commercial-style [[coffee preparation|grinder]], typically available for [[self-service]], and/or a staffed [[coffeehouse|coffee bar]] that prepares ready-to-drink coffee and tea beverages)
* [[Clothing]] and [[footwear]] (typically a general, limited assortment)
* [[Confectionery|Confections]] and [[candy|candies]]
* [[Cosmetics]]
* [[Dairy product]]s and [[Egg (food)|eggs]]
* [[Delicatessen]] foods (ready-to-eat)
* [[Diet food]]s
* Electrical products such as [[lamp|light bulbs]], [[extension cord]]s, etc.
* [[Feminine hygiene]] products
* Financial services and products such as [[mortgages]], [[credit cards]], [[savings account]]s, [[wire transfer]]s, etc. (typically offered in-store by a partnering [[bank]] or other [[financial institution]])
* [[Flower]]s
* [[Frozen food]]s and crushed ice
* Fresh [[produce]], [[fruit]]s and [[vegetable]]s
* [[Greeting card]]s
* Housecleaning products
* Housewares, [[crockery]] and [[cooking utensils]], etc. (typically limited)
* [[Laundry]] products such as [[detergent]]s, fabric softeners, etc.
* [[Lottery]] tickets (where operational and legal)
* [[Luggage]] items (typically limited)
* [[Meat]]s, [[fish]] and [[seafood]]s (some stores may offer live fish and seafood items from [[aquarium]] tanks)
* Medicines and [[First aid kit|first aid]] items (primarily [[over-the-counter drug]]s, although many supermarkets also have an on-site [[pharmacy]])
* Nonalcoholic beverages such as [[soft drink]]s, [[juice]]s, [[bottled water]], etc. (some stores may have a [[juicer|juice bar]] that prepares ready-to-drink freshly squeezed juices, [[smoothie]]s, etc.)
* Personal hygiene and grooming products
* [[Pet]] foods and products
* Seasonal items and decorations
* [[Snack food]]s
* [[Toy]]s and [[novelties]]
In some countries, the range of supermarket merchandise is more strictly focused on food products, although the range of goods for sale is expanding in many locations as typical store sizes continue to increase globally.
== Typical store architecture ==
[[Image:LoblawsInside.jpg|thumb|right|The interior of a [[Loblaws]] supermarket in [[Toronto]]]]
Most supermarkets are similar in design and layout due to trends in [[marketing]]. Fresh [[produce]] tends to be located near the entrance of the store. Milk, bread, and other essential [[staple food|staple]] items are usually situated toward the rear of the store and in other out-of-the-way places, purposely done to maximize the customer's time spent in the store, strolling past other items and capitalizing on [[impulse buying]]. The front of the store, or "front end'" is the area where [[point of sale]] machines or cash registers are usually located. Many retailers also have implemented [[self-checkout]] devices in an attempt to reduce labor costs.
==Criticisms==
* British author [[Joanna Blythman]] is a prominent critic of the modern supermarket.
* In [[Hong Kong]], larger supermarkets (usually called [[superstore]]s) are criticized for selling the fresh foods traditionally available in local [[wet markets]], making the survival of the smaller family-run wet markets increasingly difficult {{Fact|date=February 2007}}.
* Supermarkets, in general, also tend to narrow the choices of fruits and vegetables by stocking only varieties with long storage lives, thus leading to medium-term [[extinction]] of the cultivation of other varieties.
* In the [[United States]], major-brand supermarkets often demand [[slotting fee]]s from suppliers in exchange for premium shelf space and/or better positioning (such as at eye-level, on the checkout aisle or at a shelf's "end cap"). This extra supplier cost (up to $30,000 per brand for a chain for each individual [[SKU]]) may be reflected in the cost of the products offered. Some critics have questioned the ethical and legal propriety of slotting fee payments and their effect on smaller suppliers [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3374/is_n4_v14/ai_11890602] [http://sbc.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=191114] [http://www.oligopolywatch.com/2003/05/08.html]. Supermarkets that sell mostly their own "[[private label]]" products, such as [[Aldi]], do not charge slotting fees.
==References==
<references/>
==See also==
*[[List of supermarket chains]]
==Further reading==
*William Greer, ''America the Bountiful: How the supermarket came to main street'', Food Marketing Institute, 1986. {{Listed Invalid ISBN|999925568X}} {{OCLC|14357784}}
*Henry Petroski, ''Shopping By Design: Supermarkets, like other inventions, didn't just happen; they were designed, developed—and patented.'', American Scientist Volume: 93 Number: 6 Page: 491. URL:http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/47364
==External links==
{{commons|Category:Supermarkets|Supermarket}}
*[http://www.groceteria.com/ groceteria.com] - supermarket history and architecture from the 1920s to the 1970s
*[http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/04/BUG7PE2DKH1.DTL Scrambling for customers], 4 August 2005, [[San Francisco Chronicle]]
* [http://www.aboutretail.net/types_of_retail_outlet/supermarket.htm Supermarket background and history]
* [http://www.supermarketnews.com/ Supermarket News] - Nationally circulated weekly trade magazine for the food distribution industry.
*[http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/foodstories/index.html Food Stories] — Explore a century of revolutionary change in UK food culture on the British Library's Food Stories website
*[http://astore.amazon.co.uk/supermarket-21 Worldwide Online Supermarket] - World's largest online supermarket.
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