Editing Grocery store (section)

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Gerard Dou - The Grocer's Shop - WGA06636.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.56|Painting: 'The Grocer's Shop,' 1647]]

Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer (or "purveyor") was a dealer in comestible [[dry goods]] such as [[spices]], [[Bell pepper|peppers]], [[Sugarloaf|sugar]], and (later) [[Cocoa solids|cocoa]], [[tea]], and [[coffee]]. Because these items were often bought in bulk, they were named after the French word for wholesaler, or "grossier". This, in turn, is derived from the Medieval Latin term "grossarius",<ref>{{cite news|title=Grocer
|work=Oxford English Dictionary|edition=2nd |date=1989}}</ref> from which the term "gross" (meaning a quantity of 12 dozen, or 144) is also derived.

[[File:Epicerie moderne.jpg|thumb|Grocer's shop in [[Paris, France]], 1904]]
From the late 1600s until the 1850s, the word "grocery" referred to a [[Bar (establishment)|place where people went to drink]].<ref>{{cite web |title=What The Word 'Grocery' Originally Meant |date=12 Jun 2022 |author=Autumn Swiers |website=Tasting Table |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/892888/what-the-word-grocery-originally-meant/}}</ref>

As increasing numbers of [[staple food]]-stuffs became available in [[Canning|cans]] and other less-perishable packaging, the trade expanded its province.  Today, grocers deal in a wide range of staple food-stuffs including such perishables as [[dairy product]]s, [[meat]]s, and [[produce]]. Such goods are, hence, called ''groceries''. <ref>{{Cite web|title=What does grocer mean?|url=https://www.definitions.net/definition/grocer|access-date=2021-09-09|website=www.definitions.net}}</ref>

Many rural areas still contain general stores that sell goods ranging from tobacco products to imported napkins. Traditionally, general stores have offered credit to their customers, a system of payment that works on trust rather than modern [[credit card]]s. This allowed farm families to buy staples until their harvest could be sold. {{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

===Modernization===
[[File:Piggly Wiggly 1918.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Piggly Wiggly]] was the first [[self-service]] grocery store, opening in 1916.]]
The first [[self-service]] grocery store, [[Piggly Wiggly]], was opened in 1916 in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], by [[Clarence Saunders (grocer)|Clarence Saunders]], an inventor and entrepreneur.<ref name="[[Piggly Wiggly History]]">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pigglywiggly.com/about-us|title=About Us &#124; Piggly Wiggly|website=www.pigglywiggly.com}}</ref><ref name="[[TN History for Kids]]">{{cite web |url=http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/people/clarence_saunders |title=Tennessee History for Kids |publisher=Tnhistoryforkids.org |access-date=2015-03-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223135341/http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/people/clarence_saunders |archive-date=2015-02-23 }}</ref> Prior to this innovation, grocery stores operated "over the counter," with customers asking a grocer to retrieve items from inventory. Saunders' invention allowed a much smaller number of clerks to service the customers, proving successful (according to a 1929 issue of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'') "partly because of its novelty, partly because neat packages and large advertising appropriations have made retail grocery selling almost an automatic procedure."<ref name="Time 1929">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,880518,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205185025/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,880518,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 5, 2009|title=Piggly Wiggly Man |magazine=Time | date=1929-02-25 | access-date=2010-05-04}}</ref>

The early supermarkets began as [[Chain store|chains]] of grocer's shops. The development of supermarkets and other large grocery stores has meant that smaller grocery stores often must create a [[niche market]] by selling unique, premium quality, or ethnic foods that are not easily found in supermarkets. A small grocery store may also compete by locating in a mixed commercial-residential area close to, and convenient for, its customers. Organic foods are also becoming a more popular niche market for smaller stores.

Grocery stores operate in many different styles ranging from rural family-owned operations, such as [[IGA (supermarkets)|IGAs]], to boutique chains, such as [[Whole Foods Market]] and [[Trader Joe's]], to larger supermarket chain stores such as [[Walmart]] and [[Kroger]] Marketplace. In some places, [[food cooperative]]s, or "co-op" markets, owned by their own shoppers, have been popular. However, there has recently been a trend towards larger stores serving larger geographic areas. Very large "all-in-one" [[hypermarket]]s such as [[Walmart]], [[Target Corporation|Target]], and [[Meijer]] have recently forced consolidation of the grocery businesses in some areas, and the entry of [[variety store]]s such as [[Dollar General]] into rural areas has undercut many traditional grocery stores. The global buying power of such very efficient companies has put an increased financial burden on traditional local grocery stores as well as the national [[supermarket]] chains, and many have been caught up in the [[retail apocalypse]] of the 2010s.

[[File:Old grocery shop (38797097655).jpg|thumb|Grocery store in Porto, Portugal]]
Many European cities are so dense in population and buildings that large supermarkets, in the American sense, cannot replace the neighbourhood grocer's shop. However, "Metro" shops have been appearing in town and city centres in many countries, leading to the decline of independent smaller shops. Large out-of-town [[supermarket]]s and [[hypermarket]]s, such as [[Tesco]] and [[Sainsbury's]] in the [[United Kingdom]], have been steadily weakening trade from smaller shops. Many grocery chains like [[Spar (retailer)|Spar]] or [[Mace (retailer)|Mace]] are taking over the regular family business model.

===The future===

According to Deloitte Insights,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/future-of-grocery-retail.html|title=The future of grocery retail|website=www.deloitte.com}}Deloitte</ref> exponentially more powerful technology is one of the major forces reshaping the industry. The future of grocery stores is likely to be shaped by continued technological innovation, with trends like automated checkouts, AI-driven inventory management, and even drone deliveries. Sustainability will also be a key focus, with stores adopting more eco-friendly practices and products.