The retail sector is one of the most flourishing industries of today. The retail Industry stands for the business where goods and services are transferred from a retailer to a purchaser. Most retailers sell their products in small numbers or amounts. The retailers would display their goods whereby the consumers could select the products which they require. There are different types of retail stores intended to sell various products. Some of them are discussed below.
- Department stores:These stores consist of a miscellany of various products which serve different purposes. So, the consumers will not have to visit umpteen number of stores in order to purchase the required commodities. They could avail themselves of the must-have products under the same roof. Department stores also contain items of diverse brands; thereby it caters to the majority of the population. Department stores also contain products like readymade clothes, accessories, stationery, and culinary items. All of these items are segregated according to their types, and supervisors are appointed to oversee the functioning of these department stores.
- Discount stores: As the name suggests, Discount stores sell commodities for a lower price. These stores are comparatively smaller than the department stores. Discount stores usually vend products in smaller quantities. These stores do not contain a wide range of commodities. Discount stores where a specialised department is allotted to a particular product is called “Category Killers.” Many discount stores include products of a certain brand. These stores also provide discounts for special categories of people like government employees etc.
- Supermarkets:Supermarkets are larger stores which are run on a self-serve basis. These shops contain products like household items, toiletries, culinary items, vegetables, fruits and bakery items. Supermarkets garnered prominence during the early 1900s in the United States. At the onset, these stores sold products at low cost and were situated in industrial areas. These stores did not provide the provision to view things on display.
- Warehouse: A warehouse is another type of store where products are stored in bulk. The retailers transport the goods from these warehouses to their personal retail stores when the necessity arises. The central warehouse is a storage building whereby the products are shifted to regional stores. The warehouse requires a large building and cannot be used as a retail store. These stores are usually situated in and around cities and towns. Besides, warehouses should be built where regional stores could be connected easily.
Merchandising is a retail method where the producers display their commodities in their shops to attract consumers and escalate their sales. Cross merchandise is yet another type of store which shows diverse and opposite products to produce contrast and entice the audience. Retail Stores provide employment to many people who reside on the premises of those stores. Every retail store has a proprietor and a manager. Larger stores will also have various supervisors who oversee the workings and functioning of each Department. The owners of these retail stores also employ and appoint people to segregate and arrange the products. These are a few prominent types of Retail Stores.
