Supermarket

Supermarkets are an American invention made by Michael Cullen, a grocery store administrator in Guerrin, Illinois . In 1930, Cullen opened the first supermarket in a former garage, at which, for the convenience of customers, there was free parking. Two years later, Cullen owned eight such stores with revenues of $ 6 million per year.

A huge incentive for the development of supermarkets was the invention in 1937 by the owner of a Oklahoma supermarket, Sylvan Goldman, of a metal trolley on food carts instead of a manual basket.

In the post-war period in the United States, due to food shortages, empty store shelves began to be filled with hygiene and cosmetics. Buyers welcomed the emergence of new types of goods, and subsequently supermarkets began to sell such things as household supplies, gramophone records, greeting cards and even clothes. At this time, new supermarkets began to be built on the outskirts of large cities, where the initiators were independent entrepreneurs associated with cooperatives supplying the food market with the food market. The cooperatives supplied them with products at low prices, so they could sell them in their stores at the same prices as their large competitors, a chain of stores, providing the customer with at least the convenience. Many of these single stores subsequently grew into local chains.

A characteristic feature of supermarkets was an increase in the assortment of goods and retail space. If in the 50s. the area of ​​a supermarket in the USA averaged 2,000 m² and 6,000 items of goods, then in the 60-70s. - 2800 m² and an assortment of up to 8,000 items. In a modern supermarket, up to 25,000 items are offered and 8,000 new products appear annually. The equipment changed the appearance and character of the supermarket: air conditioning systems were installed, the front doors automatically open and close, products are moved to the cashier by a conveyor belt.

The advent of new packaging material has helped introduce self-service in the vegetable and dairy departments; open freezers contributed to the expansion of the range of frozen products; the bakery department expanded the range of bakery products baked on site. There was a gastronomic department where you can buy ready-made snacks. The last major innovation was computers. The computer that decrypts a special barcode on the product label began to replace the cash register. Computers increased productivity by speeding up cashiers and reducing errors, as well as reducing store expenses by registering product progress and conducting a quick inventory.

Shopping in supermarkets and hypermarkets is usually done ^{[ when? ]} forward a week, as it’s more profitable to buy food in large quantities.

Some companies began to open supermarkets with a limited range of products and simplified service ( discounters ): the range of such stores does not exceed 500 types of non-perishable products.

Other entrepreneurs, seeking to increase sales, on the contrary, offer customers even greater amenities. They increased the size of supermarkets to almost 5,000 sq.m. and provided an even wider selection of food, drinks and other goods. Their goal is to cover a larger territory than ordinary grocery supermarkets managed to do.

Combined stores appeared: supermarkets and pharmacies, which should also attract customers and increase the amount of individual operations.

More and more people are choosing environmentally friendly products. Since 1990, manufacturers in the United States have been obliged to place on labels full information about the quality of products (calorie content, total amount of fat, salt, cholesterol, carbohydrates, sugar, protein), as well as the recommended amount of the product for one-time consumption. On perishable products, the deadline for consumption or sale is indicated. Cash desks in supermarkets are equipped with laser scanning devices that instantly read the name and price of the packaged goods. In order not to create queues at " peak hours ", many supermarkets artificially "dissolve" them, giving retirees discounts on purchases on weekdays at certain hours. You can save on purchases at the supermarket by using a special discount voucher with a valid expiration date. These customer reward coupons can be attached to the product on the shelf, often sent by mail to regular or potential customers. In some cases, the coupon sent ( coupon ) involves an additional purchase for a specific amount. You can buy products by phone or order on the website of the online supermarket with home delivery. In some cases, this convenience does not require additional payment.

Supermarket administration is required to follow certain trade rules. For example, in US supermarkets:

• each product should clearly indicate its price, and if there are several labels with different prices, the buyer must pay the lowest of them;
• certain types of products, which include meat and fish, juices and cold drinks, baby food, butter, coffee, jams, pet food, pasta, as well as washing and detergents, must have not only the total selling price for the package, but and price for weight or volume;
• perishable goods, which, in addition to dairy and meat products, also include eggs, bread, culinary products, must have clearly indicated dates of the last day of sale or consumption;
• the balance should be between the seller and the buyer, and their scale should be clearly visible;
• on the package with minced meat should be indicated all sorts of meat included in it;
• all products in the factory packaging must clearly indicate: the name of the product, the net weight, the ingredients contained in the product, as well as the name of the manufacturer and its address.

Supermarkets have become the most popular grocery stores in Russia. Distinctive features of the supermarket, in comparison with other types of trade enterprises (for example, a supermarket ), are established by GOST R 51773-2009 “Trade services. Classification of trade enterprises. ” According to GOST, a supermarket includes a trading company selling universal food products and non-food products (non-wide range) in the form of self-service and individual service, with a sales area of ​​600 m².

Supermarket Classifications

According to the level of organization, supermarket chains are divided into:

• international (supermarkets are located in different countries);
• federal (supermarkets are located in different regions of the Russian Federation);
• regional (supermarkets are located in different cities of 1 constituent entity of the Russian Federation);
• local (supermarkets are located in one city).

The idea of ​​Gosudarev’s father, the restful Nikolai Platonovich, to liquidate all foreign supermarkets and replace them with Russian stalls was a good idea. And so that in each stall - two things, for the choice of the people. This is wise and deep, For our people, the God-bearer , must choose from two, and not from three and not from thirty-three. Choosing from two, people find peace of mind, they are filled with confidence in the future, avoids the restless fuss, and, therefore, are satisfied. And with such a people satisfied, great things can be done. Everything is good in the stall, only one can’t understand and my head can’t do it - why all the products in a pair, like creatures on Noah’s ark, and the cheese is the only one, “Russian”? My logic here is powerless.

- Vladimir Sorokin . Day of the Oprichnik

• Supermarket
• Hypermarket
• Shopping center
• Discounter

• Kolokolnikov D. Network supermarkets in Moscow // Commercial Real estate. - 2010. - No. 02 (131) /16-31.01.10