A supermarket and a grocery store are 2 very similar concepts with nooks of deference which in general is missed and hence the confusion. Every supermarket is a partial grocery store while not every grocery store counts as a supermarket. Supermarkets just tend to be very large and provide different types of goods while grocery stores are considerably small and provide selective goods. The difference is explained in detail in the upcoming article.
Supermarket And Grocery Store
Supermarket
The word ‘supermarket’ is an American English word for a store that provides almost every merchandise one would need to run a house, starting from food to upholsteries.
Space
Supermarkets own a large space which is needed for the store itself, parking and a place to store the goods. Since supermarkets have a variety of goods, they need a big space to keep their merchandise organized to ease the consumer. Some super markets go for one big ground floor layout or 2 floors.
Merchandise
Supermarkets sell a variety of goods ranging from fresh food, preserved food, medicine, pet needs, appliances, craft supplies, house supplies, etc. The supermarkets provide a good range of brands per product for consumers to try out and purchase.
Ownership
Supermarkets are large scaled often owned privately. However, supermarkets tend to have branches that hire managers to own and take care of their respective shops. They provide job opportunities on a large scale.
Consumer accessibilities
The Supermarket is a large space with numerous products which often leaves customers in distress to find the product they are looking for. To ease that, supermarkets have labels and signage to direct consumers to their desired products. Also, the supermarkets have sales representatives, placed across to guide the customers when they need help.
Consumer’s ease
Considering the wide range of products and the space average customers can travel in the store; the supermarket provides shopping carts for consumers to carry the products they have collected to buy across the store.
Price, discounts, and memberships
Super market often tends to sell products at nominal prices or low prices. They put up discounts very often as their sole motive is to attract consumers. They even provide memberships to regular consumers to ensure their loyalty of the consumer and pin them down with advantages.
Source
Supermarket often tends to buy goods from recognizable brands and buy them wholesale.
Advertising
Supermarkets do not do luxury advertising, but go on to bring in billboards and small banners to advertise their recent announcements on products and discounts.
Grocery store
Grocery is a French word that describes a store that provides essentials only.
Space
Grocery stores are confined to small spaces that are not that very organized but well-kept enough to access products without difficulties.
Merchandise
Grocery stores provide products that are needed to satisfy the basic needs of a person. Mostly products related to food. Until recently, some grocery stores have adopted to sell other necessities like bandages, napkins, soaps, etc. The store does not provide various options from which the consumers can use
Ownership
Grocery shops are owned by small private owners who do not have branches. The grocer (the person who owns the shop) is often noticed to see the managing and the accounting duties. Grocery stores have very few workers.
Consumer accessibility
It is kind of easy to have your way through a grocery store since in it is small. However, they do have some labels to inform consumers to know the details. It’s hard to find sales representatives in the grocery store in general.
Consumer’s ease
Since the products are limited, there is no complicated arrangements which ease the access to the products for the consumers. Since the stores space is small, and have limited products, they do not provide shopping carts, instead they provide shopping bags or baskets
Price, discounts, and memberships
The prices are always the same in grocery stores. They don’t provide discounts or any kind of membership which is considered an advantage to the consumer.
Source
The source for grocery store owners can vary from local to established market. They do not buy in bulk quantities. They sell products that sell fast and are in demand.
Advertisement
Grocery stores does not advertise themselves. They rely on words from one consumer to another and the causalities of finding a store when in need.
Conclusion
Supermarkets are big spaced stores dealing with a variety, upholding the only target – to attract consumers, while grocery stores are a small spaced stores providing limited goods and targets to sell products to people according to their needs and make their business grow.