department store
noun
  1. A large retail store offering a variety of merchandise and services and organized in separate departments.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. More at Wordnik
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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

Department store - Wikipedia
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 … Wikipedia
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › department store
DEPARTMENT STORE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
2 weeks ago - The meaning of DEPARTMENT STORE is a store having separate sections for a wide variety of goods.
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Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › department-store
DEPARTMENT STORE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
November 24, 2025 - 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.
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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.
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › department-store
DEPARTMENT STORE definition | Cambridge English Dictionary
November 26, 2025 - DEPARTMENT STORE meaning: 1. a large shop divided into several different parts, each of which sells different things 2. a…. Learn more.
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Wordsmyth
kids.wordsmyth.net › we
department store | definition for kids | Wordsmyth Word Explorer Children's Dictionary; WILD dictionary K-2 | Wordsmyth
a large retail store organized into departments, each of which orders, displays, and sells certain types of merchandise.... See the full definition
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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
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Britannica
britannica.com › money › department-store
Department store | Clothing, Accessories, Home Goods | Britannica Money
3 weeks ago - department store, retail establishment that sells a wide variety of goods. These usually include ready-to-wear...
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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.
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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, ...
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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.
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Indian Retailer
indianretailer.com › article › retail-business › future-retail › what-departmental-store-features-types-advantages-and
Departmental Store : Definition,Types, Advantages, and Disadvantages - Indian Retailer
February 16, 2024 - A departmental store is a large retail establishment that offers a wide range of products under one roof, organized into various sections or departments. Each department typically specializes in a specific category of products, such as clothing, ...
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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?

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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.
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Fiveable
fiveable.me › all key terms › intro to marketing › department store
Department store - (Intro to Marketing) - Vocab, Definition, Explanations | Fiveable | Fiveable
A department store is a large retail establishment that offers a wide variety of goods organized into different departments, including clothing, home goods, electronics, and more. These stores typically provide a one-stop shopping experience for consumers by featuring multiple product categories ...
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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.
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Fiveable
fiveable.me › all key terms › ap us history › department stores
Department Stores Definition - AP US History Key Term | Fiveable
Department stores are large retail establishments that offer a wide variety of goods organized into different departments, such as clothing, home goods, electronics, and more. These stores emerged in the 19th century and became significant symbols of the growing consumer culture, reflecting ...
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Wiley Online Library
onlinelibrary.wiley.com › doi › abs › 10.1002 › 9781405165518.wbeosd030.pub2
Department Store - Murphy - Major Reference Works - Wiley Online Library
October 26, 2015 - Department stores, by definition, offer a large variety of merchandise organized into specialty departments under one roof. The first department stores were unique not simply because of the variety of goods they offered, but because their policies ...
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CABF
cabf.eu › en › rayon-de-magasin
Store Department: Definition, Management, and Optimization - CABF
May 27, 2025 - The term store department refers to a specific section of a retail outlet where products of the same category are grouped together. Whether you're a customer