He founded the Astor Market in 1915, investing $750,000 of his fortune into a 165′ by 125′ (50×38-metre) corner of 95th and Broadway, Manhattan, creating, in effect, an open-air mini-mall that sold meat, fruit, produce and flowers. The concept of an inexpensive food market relying on economies of scale was developed by Vincent Astor. Milk and other items of short shelf life were delivered by a milkman. Shopping for groceries also often involved trips to multiple specialty shops, such as a greengrocer, butcher, bakery, fishmonger and dry goods store, in addition to a general store. The number of customers who could be attended to at one time was limited by the number of staff employed in the store. These practices were by nature slow and had high labor intensity and therefore also quite expensive. This offered opportunities for social interaction: many regarded this style of shopping as "a social occasion" and would often "pause for conversations with the staff or other customers". Most foods and merchandise did not come in individually wrapped consumer-sized packages, so an assistant measured out and wrapped the precise amount requested by the consumer. In the early days of retailing, generally an assistant fetched products from shelves behind the merchant's counter while customers waited in front of the counter, indicating the items they wanted. S-market store with 24/7 service in Klaukkala, Finland, 2022 Self-service with shopping carts (trolleys) or baskets reduces labor costs, and many supermarket chains are attempting further reduction by shifting to self-service check-out. Supermarkets make up for their low margins by a high volume of sales, and with of higher-margin items bought by the attracted shoppers. Certain products (typically staple foods such as bread, milk and sugar) are very occasionally sold as loss leaders so as to attract shoppers to their store. They also minimise financing costs by paying for goods at least 30 days after receipt and some extract credit terms of 90 days or more from vendors. Supermarkets usually offer products at relatively low prices by using their buying power to buy goods from manufacturers at lower prices than smaller stores can. Supermarkets typically are chain stores, supplied by the distribution centers of their parent companies, thus increasing opportunities for economies of scale. They also present elaborate in-shop displays of products. Supermarkets usually allocate large budgets to advertising, typically through newspapers. Other advantages include ease of parking and frequently the convenience of shopping hours that extend into the evening or even 24 hours of the day. The basic appeal is the availability of a broad selection of goods under a single roof, at relatively low prices. It is usually situated near a residential area in order to be convenient to consumers. The traditional supermarket occupies a large amount of floor space, usually on a single level. If the eatery in a supermarket is substantial enough, the facility may be called a "grocerant", a blend of "grocery" and "restaurant". Other services may include those of banks, cafés, childcare centers/creches, insurance (and other financial services), mobile phone services, photo processing, video rentals, pharmacies, and gas stations. Some supermarkets also sell other household products that are consumed regularly, such as alcohol (where permitted), medicine, and clothing, and some sell a much wider range of non-food products: DVDs, sporting equipment, board games, and seasonal items (e.g., Christmas wrapping paper in December).Ī larger full-service supermarket combined with a department store is sometimes known as a hypermarket. Shelf space is also reserved for canned and packaged goods and for various non-food items such as kitchenware, household cleaners, pharmacy products and pet supplies. The supermarket typically has places for fresh meat, fresh produce, dairy, deli items, baked goods, etc. usage, however, " grocery store" is synonymous with supermarket, and is not used to refer to other types of stores that sell groceries. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limited in the range of merchandise than a hypermarket or big-box market. A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections.
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