Traditional supermarkets in many countries face intense competition from discount retailers such as Wal-Mart, and Tesco in the UK, which typically are non-union and operate with better buying power.
From the 1950s, until its merger with Albertsons, shortly after a sale to Fleming Foods in the mid-1990s, supermarkets with the Big Bear name operated in San Diego County, California.
Malls, supermarkets, and stores operate on Saturday, and in towns and cities most of them open also on Sunday.
The supermarkets still operate under the "Homeland" name.
Before Gristedes, another supermarket, Food Emporium, had operated at the same location with similar results, leaving after only two years.
A supermarket may provide its own "deli" food, or even operate a delicatessen on-site.
While boutiques, some electronics shops, department stores and supermarkets operate on a fixed-price basis, most other outlets consider friendly negotiation a way of life.
During the 1980s, several supermarkets in Southern California operated under the Market Basket branding.
The two supermarkets operate in tandem, with the Woolworths store branded with the Australian Woolworths logo.
The Department of Buildings said that the supermarket, with 35,000 square feet, has been operating without a permit required for retail stores larger than 10,000 square feet.