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Grocer

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Grocer



 
 
Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer (also called purveyor) was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and (later) cocoa, tea and coffee. These items were bought in bulk, hence the term grocer from the French "grossier" meaning wholesaler.

As increasing numbers of staple food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
stuffs became available in cans and other less-perishable packaging, the trade expanded its province.






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A Grocery Store in Cheung Hong Estate
Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer (also called purveyor) was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and (later) cocoa, tea and coffee. These items were bought in bulk, hence the term grocer from the French "grossier" meaning wholesaler.

As increasing numbers of staple food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
stuffs became available in 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 meat
Meat

In modern English usage, meat most often refers to animal biological tissue used as food, mostly skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to offal, including livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, in some countries lungs, and a variety of other internal organs as well as blood....
s, produce
Produce

Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods, not limited to fruit and vegetables. More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested....
 and dairy product
Dairy product

Dairy products are generally defined as foodstuffs produced from milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory....
s. Such goods are, hence, groceries.

In the United States and United Kingdom, supermarket
Supermarket

A supermarket is a self-service Retailing#Retail types offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments....
s and convenience store
Convenience store

A convenience store is a small store or shop that sells candy, ice-cream, soft drinks, lottery tickets, newspapers and magazines, along with a small selection of food and grocery supplies....
s are sometimes described as grocery businesses, or simply grocers. The early supermarkets began as chains of grocer's shops. Clarence Saunders
Clarence Saunders

Clarence Saunders was a grocer who first developed the modern retail sales model of self service. His ideas have had a massive influence on the development of the modern supermarket....
 of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
 invented the self-service grocery store with open stock in 1916, for which he received a US patent
Patent

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or his assignee for a term of patent in exchange for a disclosure of an invention....
.

Notable Grocers

  • Horatio G. Loomis
    Horatio G. Loomis

    Loomis was a native of Vermont who came to Chicago as a pioneer settler in 1834. A grocer by trade, Loomis also was an entrepreneur who became involved in many business fields, including commodities trading....
    , one of the organizers of the Chicago Board of Councelers


See also

Grocery store
Grocery store

A grocery store is a store established primarily for the retailing of food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells them to customers....


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