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 🏬
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.
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.
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
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.
Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › us › dictionary › english › department-store
DEPARTMENT STORE definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary
A department store is a large store which sells many different kinds of goods.
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
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
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.
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.
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 ...
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 ...