 a general store, general merchandise store, general dealer or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise.north american industry classification (naics) 2002, "452 general merchandise stores (us)" it carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general goods. the store carries routine stock and obtains special orders from warehouses. it differs from a convenience store or corner shop in that it will be the main shop for the community rather than a convenient supplement. bodeguita comes from the spanish language as a diminutive of bodega which means "small store" or "small warehouse". traditionally, bodeguita existed selling general merchandise, then they were replaced slowly by the chain store, the same way large us chains have practically eliminated the "mom and pop" store.   general stores often sell staple food items such as milk and bread, and various household goods such as hardware and electrical supplies. the concept of the general store is very old, and although some still exist, there are far fewer than there once were, due to urbanization, urban sprawl, and the relatively recent phenomenon of big-box stores. the term "general merchandise store" is also used to describe a hybrid of a department store, with a wide selection of goods, and a discount store, with low prices. examples include j. c. penney and sears."america's top stores". consumer reports june 2010, p. 17. ==by country== ===australia===  while a large number of general stores still exist in australia, as in other parts of the world their numbers were greatly reduced by the advent of supermarkets. ===canada=== the oldest continually run general store in canada is trousdale's, located in sydenham, ontario, which has been operated by the trousdale family since 1836. socialbility has always been a feature, as locals come to chat as well as buy.richard bauman, "the la have island general store: so
Shops