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DISCOUNT RETAILERS

Discount retailers, or mass merchandisers, have appeared
around the country relatively recently. These stores offer lower
prices on everything from food, clothes, and toys to CDs,
electronic equipment, and tools, by operating huge, no-frills stores,
usually in suburban locations. They carry all the major brands, as
well as some store brands, and since they buy in mass amounts,
they are able to pass the savings on to customers.

WAREHOUSE CLUBS

Another type of store that has changed American shopping is
the warehouse club. These are very large stores housed in, as the
name implies, warehouses, which offer their products in bulk.
They charge customers a yearly fee of about $30. In turn, members
save much more than that, usually on their first shopping trip.
Warehouse clubs sell mostly household and grocery items,
although they often don't carry fresh produce. They also have
things like office equipment, casual wear, toys, and sporting
goods.

MAIL ORDER SHOPPING

Shoppers in the United States have long enjoyed the
convenience of mail order shopping, ordering products either from
catalogs, or from places that advertise on TV in commercials or
infomercials. While it is still referred to as mail order, most
products are ordered over the phone rather than through the mail.
Mail order companies either specialize in selling their own
products, such as outdoor clothing and equipment, or will gather
together a selection of products from different manufacturers
aimed at a particular type of buyer, such as a business traveler.
Some stores also have a mail order department; in fact, companies
like Sears started out as mail order firms. Other stores put together
a Christmas catalog, with gift suggestions, along with special