page_title: Grocery store
section_title: Prices
hierarchical_section_title: Grocery store / Food marketing / Prices
caption_attribution_description: grain products: bread, rice, cornmeal, and pasta
context_page_description: A grocery store, grocer or grocery shop, is a store primarily engaged in retailing a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, and is not used to refer to other types of stores that sell groceries. In the U.K., shops that sell food are distinguished as grocers or grocery shops, though in everyday use, people usually use either the term "supermarket" or, for a smaller type of store that sells groceries, a "corner shop" or "convenience shop".
  Larger types of stores that sell groceries, such as supermarkets and hypermarkets, usually stock significant amounts of non-food products, such as clothing and household items. Small grocery stores that mainly sell fruits and vegetables are known as greengrocers or produce markets, and small grocery stores that predominantly sell prepared food, such as candy and snacks, are known as convenience shops or delicatessens.
  Some groceries specialize in the foods of certain countries or regions, such as Chinese, Italian, Middle Eastern, or Polish. These stores are known in the U.S. as ethnic markets and may also serve as gathering places for immigrants.
context_section_description: It was reported on March 24, 2008, that consumers worldwide faced rising food prices. Reasons for this development include changes in the weather and dramatic changes in the global economy including higher oil prices, lower food reserves, and growing consumer demand in China and India.
  The US Labor Department has calculated that food purchased at home and in restaurants is 13% of household purchases, behind 32% for housing and 18% for transportation. The average US family spent $280 per month or $3,305 per year at grocery stores in 2004. The newsletter Dollar Stretcher survey estimated $149 a month for a single person, $257 for a couple and $396 for a family of four.
caption: Some essential food products including bread, rice and pasta
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