Grocery Stores - Grocers
Food Stores - Markets - Supermarkets - Convenience Stores
City of Napa, Napa Valley, San Francisco North Bay, Ca. USA 94558, 94559

They are often located alongside busy roads, or at gas/petrol stations. This can take the form of gas stations supplementing their income with retail outlets, or convenience stores adding gas to the list of goods that they offer. Railway stations also often have convenience stores. They are also frequently located in densely-populated urban neighborhoods.

The disadvantage to these stores is that they have displaced or replaced the local mom and pop grocery stores that used to exist everywhere in the USA. Now we have more convenience stores and fewer local markets.

Prices in a convenience store are typically higher than at a supermarket, mass merchandise store, or auto supply store (with the exception of the goods such as milk, soda and fuel in which convenience stores traditionally do high volume and sometimes use as loss leaders).

In the United States, the stores will sometimes be the only stores and services near an interstate highway exit where drivers can buy any kind of food or drink for miles. Most of the profit margin from these stores comes from beer, liquor, and cigarettes. Although those three categories themselves usually yield lower margins per item, the amount of sales in the categories generally makes up for it. Profits per item are much higher on deli items (bags of ice, chicken, etc), but sales are generally lower.

The first chain convenience store in the United States was opened in Dallas, Texas in 1927 by the Southland Ice Company, which eventually became 7-Eleven. Since that time many different convenience store brands have developed, and their stores may either be corporate-owned or franchises. The items offered for sale tend to be similar despite store brand, and almost always include milk, bread, soft drinks, cigarettes, phone cards, coffee, slurpees, candy bars, Twinkies, Slim Jims, hot dogs, ice cream, candy, gum, chips, pretzels, popcorn, beef jerky, doughnuts, maps, magazines, newspapers, small toys, car supplies, feminine hygiene products, cat food, dog food, and toilet paper. Other less common items include sandwiches, pizza, and frozen foods. Nearly all convenience stores also have an automated teller machine (ATM), though other bankings services are usually not available. State lottery tickets are also available at these stores.

 

Also See:

Butcher Shops

Fish and Seafood Markets

Meat Markets
Sausage Companies

For food by specialty see the Food / Bev Index

Delicatessens

City of Napa Index

Keyword Category Index