Table 1 Definition of types of food stores used in this study [52]
Supercenters or superstores | Very large stores that primarily engage in retailing a general line of groceries in combination with general lines of new merchandise, such as apparel, furniture, and appliances (e.g., Super Wal-Mart, Super Kmart). |
|---|---|
Supermarkets | Primarily engage in retailing a general line of food, supermarkets are larger in size (>20,000 sq ft), number of employees, and sales volume {Alwitt, 1997 #3550}. Chain store identification and number of parking spaces (>100) were used to distinguish supermarkets from grocery stores {Hale, 2004 #3377;Sharkey, 2009 #3556}. |
Grocery stores | Primarily engage in retailing a general line of food, grocery stores are smaller in size, not identified as a chain store and have fewer than 100 parking spaces. |
Convenience stores or food marts | Primarily engage in retailing a limited line of goods that generally includes milk, bread, soda, and snacks. The convenience store category also included convenience stores with gasoline and gasoline stations with convenience stores. |
Mass merchandisers | Large, general merchandise "value" stores, such as Kmart, Target, and Wal-Mart. |
Dollar stores | Limited-price general merchandise "value" stores, such as Dollar General or Family Dollar {Hale, 2004 #3377;Leibtag, 2005 #3375}. |
Pharmacies and drug stores | Pharmacies and drug stores that were part of national chains (e.g., CVS, Walgreens). |