department store
noun
- A large retail store offering a variety of merchandise and services and organized in separate departments.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Department_store
Department store - Wikipedia
December 10, 2025 - A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store under one roof, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, department stores emerged in the mid-19th century, reshaping shopping habits ...
retail establishment; building which offers a wide range of consumer goods
Factsheet
Unicode character 🏬
Unicode character 🏬
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › department-store
DEPARTMENT STORE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
DEPARTMENT STORE definition: 1. a large shop divided into several different parts, each of which sells different things 2. a…. Learn more.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › department store
DEPARTMENT STORE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of DEPARTMENT STORE is a store having separate sections for a wide variety of goods.
Videos
01:02
How To Say Department Store - YouTube
05:23
MEANING OF DEPARTMENTAL STORES AND FEATURES OF DEPARTMENTAL STORES ...
Difference Between Departmental Store & Supermarkets (Part 1) | ...
Department store Meaning
02:22
DEPARTMENTAL STORE AND CHAIN STORE. - YouTube
Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english › department-store
DEPARTMENT STORE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
A department store is a large shop which sells many different kinds of goods.
Dictionary.com
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DEPARTMENT STORE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
DEPARTMENT STORE definition: a large retail store carrying a wide variety of merchandise and organized into various departments for sales and administrative purposes. See examples of department store used in a sentence.
Britannica
britannica.com › money › department-store
Department store | Clothing, Accessories, Home Goods | Britannica Money
department store, retail establishment that sells a wide variety of goods. These usually include ready-to-wear...
Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › department store
Department store - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
a large retail store organized into departments offering a variety of merchandise; commonly part of a retail chain
ConnectPOS
connectpos.com › home › ecommerce › the basic definition of department store
The Basic Definition Of Department Store
June 11, 2025 - A department store is a large retail establishment that offers a wide range of consumer goods organized into separate departments.
Retail Dogma
retaildogma.com › home › retailers › department store
Department Store Definition & Examples | Retail Dogma
August 9, 2024 - A department store is a large-format retail store that sells a wide variety of products through multiple departments.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › business studies › departmental-stores-features-types-advantages-disadvantages
Departmental Stores : Features, Types, Advantages & Disadvantages - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - A departmental store is a large establishment that sells a wide range of products organised into distinct departments in order to satisfy nearly every customers' requirements under one roof.
Law Insider
lawinsider.com › dictionary › department-store
DEPARTMENT STORE Definition | Law Insider
July 7, 2025 - Define DEPARTMENT STORE. means a retail establishment offering
ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › topics › social-sciences › department-store
Department Store - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Department stores are defined as large retail establishments that offer a wide variety of goods under one roof, serving as consumer paradises that cater particularly to middle-class shoppers, and have played a pivotal role in the evolution of shopping experiences since the mid-nineteenth century.
Britannica
britannica.com › money › marketing › Department-stores
Marketing | Definition, Tactics, Purpose, & Facts - Department Stores, Retail, Shopping | Britannica Money
Department stores carry a wider variety of merchandise than most stores but offer these items in separate departments within the store. These departments usually include home furnishings and electronic and household goods, as well as clothing, ...
Oxford Reference
oxfordreference.com › display › 10.1093 › oi › authority.20110803095711292
Department stores - Oxford Reference
A retail organization that carries a wide variety of products – typically clothing, home furnishings, and household goods; each department is managed by specialist buyers or merchandisers.
TheFreeDictionary.com
thefreedictionary.com › department+store
Department store - definition of department store by The Free Dictionary
Define department store. department ... definition of department store. n. A large retail store offering a variety of merchandise and services and organized in separate departments....
Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › dictionary › department-store
Department store Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
DEPARTMENT STORE meaning: a large store that has separate areas in which different kinds of products are sold
Reddit
reddit.com › r/explainlikeimfive › eli5: what is the difference between department stores (macy’s) and big box stores (walmart)
r/explainlikeimfive on Reddit: ELI5: What is the difference between department stores (Macy’s) and Big Box stores (Walmart)
November 26, 2020 -
If you google the definition of a department store, the definition is “a large store stocking many varieties of goods in different departments.” What doesn’t make sense to me, isn’t that literally what Walmart would be? They’re a large store with multiple departments (groceries, clothes, etc). Obviously a Macy’s and a Walmart are laid out differently, but what really makes a big box store a big box store and what makes a department store a department store?
What’s confusing is that Walmart is not considered a department store. What is the real difference between a department store and big box stores?
Top answer 1 of 3
2
Traditionally department stores like Macy’s carried a variety of high quality merchandise while stores like Walmart specialized in lower quality goods. However Macy’s has lowered their standards over the years and now the main difference is that Walmart has more variety and better prices.
2 of 3
1
Mostly price point/perception. Wal-Mart and Target are discount stores focused mostly on low prices and value, while department stores focus more on quality, luxury, customer service. As more shoppers care more about price and value vs. the other factors, that’s why many department stores are failing — to cut costs/prices, they end up reducing service, let stores look shabby which doesn’t project luxury. So only a few top department store are doing at all OK, like Nordstrom. Meanwhile the ones a strong above discounters are all about to fade away (Sears, JC Penny) and the next step ones like Macy’s are hurting, too.
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english › department-store
department store noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
Definition of department store noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › learner-english › department-store
DEPARTMENT STORE definition | Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
DEPARTMENT STORE meaning: a large shop divided into several different parts that sell different types of things. Learn more.