These Clarence Day , multitude across the body politic are constantly engaging in regional term debates likesodaversuspopandfirefliesversuslightning bugs . Since these inconsistencies are so uncouth , you might have thought the only difference between a grocery store and a supermarket was whether the soul who mentioned one was from Ohio or Texas . In reality , there are distinctions between the stock themselves .
To start , grocery stores have been around for much long than supermarkets . Back when every township had a bakery , a butcher shop , a greengrocery , and more , the grocery store extend townsfolk an efficient shopping experience with infinite food products in one place . John Stranger , vice president group supervisor of the food - interrelate originative office EvansHardy+Young , explained toReader ’s Digestthat the grocer would usually collect the commodity for the patron , too . This process might vocalise intimate if you ’ve watched old film or telly shows , in which characters often just hand over their shopping lists to the person behind the sideboard . While our grocery store store runs may not be quite so personal today , the subject of food market stores stay relatively similar : Food , drinks , and some household Cartesian product .
supermarket , on the other hand , have take the musical theme of a one - occlusive shop to another level , carrying a much more expansive array of foodstuffs as well as home goods , clothing , baby products , and even contrivance . This is where it gets a niggling tricky , because supermarkets carry many of the same products as superstores — the next biggest fish in the food memory board Sir Ernst Boris Chain , which are also sometimes pertain to ashypermarkets .
According toThe Houston Chronicle , supermarkets and superstores both order inventory in bulk and usually belong to to large chain , whereas grocery stores order products on an as - need basis and are often severally have . Superstores , however , are importantly big than either grocery storage or supermarket , and they typically look more like warehouses . It ’s not an precise science , and some the great unwashed might have at odds opinions about how to categorize specific stores . For example , Walmart has a melodic line of Walmart Neighborhood Markets , whichits website describesas “ modest - footmark option[s ] for communities in need of a pharmacy , affordable groceries , and merchandise . ” They ’re not severally owned , but they do go like food market store , especially compared to Walmart ’s everything - under - the - Lord’s Day superstore model .
Knowing the correct store term might not always matter in casual conversation , but it could affect your credit card rewards earnings . American Express , for example , offers extra rewards on supermarket purchase , and it has aspecific listof depot that restrict as supermarkets , includingTrader Joe ’s , Shoprite , Stop & Shop , andWhole Foods . TargetandWalmart , on the other hand , are both see superstores , so you wo n’t earn bonus on those purchases .
And , since grocery shopping at any case of store can sometimes seem like a competitive sport , here’sthe idealistic time to go .
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A version of this story ran in 2019 ; it has been updated for 2022 .
