Editing General store (section)

{{Short description|Rural or small-town store}}
{{for|the album by Owen Temple|General Store (album)}}
{{Redirect|Country Store|the muesli product made by Kellogg's|Country Store (muesli)}}
[[File:Smiths Gully General Store.jpg|thumb|Smiths Gully General Store in [[Smiths Gully, Victoria|Smiths Gully]], [[Australia]]]]
[[File:General store interior Alabama USA.jpg|thumb|Interior of a general store in [[Moundville, Alabama|Moundville]], Alabama, US, 1936]]

A '''general merchant store''' (also known as '''general merchandise store''', '''general dealer''', '''village shop''', or '''country store''') is a rural or small-town [[Retailing|store]] that carries a [[general line of merchandise]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stds.statcan.ca/english/naics/2002/naics02-class-search.asp?criteria=452|title=North American Industry Classification (NAICS) 2002, "452 General Merchandise Stores (US)"|access-date=2008-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616095743/http://stds.statcan.ca/english/naics/2002/naics02-class-search.asp?criteria=452|archive-date=2008-06-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general goods. The store carries routine stock and obtains special orders from [[Wholesale|warehouses]]. It differs from a [[convenience store]] or corner shop in that it will be the main shop for the community rather than a convenient supplement.

General stores often sell staple food items such as milk and bread, and various household goods such as hardware and electrical supplies. The concept of the general store is very old, and although some still exist, there are far fewer than there once were, due to [[urbanization]], [[urban sprawl]], and the relatively recent phenomenon of [[big-box stores]]. The term "general merchandise store" is also used to describe a hybrid of a [[department store]], with a wide selection of goods, and a [[discount store]], with low prices. Examples include [[J. C. Penney]] and [[Sears]].<ref>"America's top stores". ''Consumer Reports'' June 2010, p. 17.</ref>