3 ms·
> Big box retailers sell things in big boxes. Err... I think we have different definitions of what a big box retailer is. Big box is a reference to the shape
by cptskippy 10y ago
> Big box retailers sell things in big boxes.
Err... I think we have different definitions of what a big box retailer is. Big box is a reference to the shape of the building and not what it sells.
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store
- tropo 10y agoYes, but why is the building like that? The building is a big box largely so that it can sell large items. You can't fit very many large items in a small store; small stores typically limit themselves to small things. You could sell refrigerators in a small building. The selection would be very limited, and there would be a high risk of stock running out. The refrigerators out on the floor at a Home Depot or Lowe's take up more space than an old-style downtown store has. That's just refrigerators, and just the ones put out on the floor for display. Many more refrigerators are stored in the back, away from customers, and refrigerators are just one of many products.
- cptskippy 10y agoIt's not about size, it's about quantity. Big box stores are warehouses and that allow for pallets of product to easily be moved around and put on the floor for consumption. It has nothing to do with the size of the product being sold.