This industry consists of establishments engaged in selling primarily lumber or lumber and a general line of building materials to the general public. While these establishments may sell primarily to construction contractors, they are known as retail in the trade.
This industry consists of establishments engaged in selling primarily paint, glass, and wallpaper, or any combination of these lines, to the general public. While these establishments may sell primarily to construction contractors, they are known as retail in the trade.
Hardware remained a healthy, growing business in the early part of the new millennium. There were approximately 20,290 hardware stores in the United States in 2002, a 7.3 percent decrease over a 10-year period.
Retail nurseries and lawn and garden supply stores operate under a variety of names, in a multitude of consumer settings, and offer a wide range of products to serve a peculiarly American need to cultivate, trim, embellish, and control a small plot of greenery. The robustness of a homeowner's front lawn and the pleasing visual effect provided by planted shrubs and flowers has become a status symbol in a modern industrialized society of property owners.
Since the 1950s, the demand for mobile homes had increased approximately 2,700 percent, and by 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 8.8 million mobile homes.
This category includes retail stores carrying a general line of apparel, such as suits, coats, dresses, and furnishings; home furnishings, such as furniture, floor coverings, curtains, draperies, linens, and major household appliances; and housewares, such as table and kitchen appliances, dishes, and utensils. These stores must carry men's and women's apparel and either major household appliances or other home furnishings.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of a variety of merchandise in the low and popular price ranges. Sales usually are made on a cash-and-carry basis, with the open-selling method of display and customer selection of merchandise.
Sales in the larger retail industry topped $3.0 trillion dollars in 2000 and continued to climb, reaching nearly $3.4 trillion in 2003. Of this total, combined sales of miscellaneous general merchandise stores and warehouse club stores accounted for approximately $256.9 billion.
This category includes supermarkets, food stores, and grocery stores, primarily engaged in the retail sale of all sorts of canned goods and dry goods (such as tea, coffee, spices, sugar, and flour), fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh and prepared meats, fish, and poultry.
Meat markets, including freezer provisioners, are the dominant types of retail establishments found in this classification, with 5,665 retail outlets. Meat and fish markets consisted of 2,070 establishments, followed by fish and seafood with 1,752 establishments.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of fresh fruits and vegetables. They are frequently found in public or municipal markets or as roadside stands.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of candy, nuts, popcorn, and other confections.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of packaged dairy products to over-the-counter customers. Ice cream and frozen custard stands are classified in SIC 5812: Eating Places, and establishments selling ice cream and similar products from trucks or wagons are classified in SIC 5963: Direct Selling Establishments.
According to D & B Sales & Marketing Solutions, there were 30,494 retail bakeries in 2003. Retail sales were approximately $6.2 billion.
This industry covers establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of specialized foods not elsewhere classified, such as eggs, poultry, health foods, spices, herbs, coffee, and tea. The poultry stores may sell live poultry, slaughter and clean poultry for their own account, and sell dressed fowls, or sell fowls cleaned and dressed by others.
This classification is comprised of establishments involved in the retail sale of new automobiles and light trucks. These establishments are franchised retail outlets for domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers.
The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) reported that 43 million used cars valued at $370 billion total were sold in 2002, also noting that the average age of vehicles on the road was about 8.5 years. NIADA concluded that the used car sales would remain at about 40 million in the coming years.
This classification comprises establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of new automobile tires, batteries, and other automobile parts and accessories. Frequently, these establishments sell a substantial amount of home appliances, radios, and television sets.
This category includes gasoline service stations primarily engaged in selling gasoline and lubricating oils. These establishments frequently sell other merchandise, such as tires, batteries, and other automobile parts, or perform minor repair work.
This classification covers establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of new and used motorboats and other watercraft, marine supplies, and outboard motors.
In 2001, according to the U.S. Census Bureau there were 3,134 establishments engaged in the retail sale of new and used motor homes, recreational trailers, and campers (pickup coaches).
This category includes establishments engaged in the retail sale of new and used motorcycles. This classification also includes those dealers who sell motor scooters, mopeds, and all-terrain vehicles.
Establishments in this industry are primarily engaged in the retail sale of new and used automotive vehicles, equipment, and supplies, not elsewhere classified, such as snowmobiles, go-karts, dune buggies, utility trailers, and golf carts. Also included in this industry are establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of aircraft.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of men's and boys' ready-to-wear clothing and accessories.
The economic recession, begun in 2001 and fueled by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, progressed relatively unabated into 2003 when the United States went to war with Iraq. During these times of economic instability, consumers became conservative spenders, which left its mark on the women's apparel industry.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of women's clothing accessories and specialties, such as millinery, blouses, foundation garments, lingerie, hosiery, costume jewelry, gloves, handbags, and furs (including custom made furs).
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of children's and infants' clothing, furnishings and accessories. Such establishments may specialize in either children's or infants' wear, or they may sell a combination of children's and infants' wear.
This industry consists of establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of clothing; furnishings; and accessories for men, women, and children. Generally referred to as retail family clothing stores, this industry includes jeans stores and unisex clothing stores, but excludes stores targeted at one sex or age group.
Establishments in this industry are primarily engaged in the retail sale of men's, women's and children's footwear; these establishments frequently carry accessories, such as gloves, socks and hosiery.
This industry consists of establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of specialized apparel and accessories, such as bathing suits, belts, raincoats, riding and other sports apparel, T-shirts, umbrellas, uniforms, and wigs and toupees. This industry also includes men's and women's custom tailors.
This classification covers establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of household furniture, including beds and springs, cabinet work, juvenile furniture, mattresses, and outdoor furniture. These stores also may sell home furnishings, major appliances, and floor coverings.
The retail floor covering industry includes sellers of rugs and carpets, linoleum, asphalt tile, and ceramic tile. Floor covering retailers include specialty stores, department stores, home improvement stores, and mass merchandisers.
Curtain, drapery, and upholstery material stores were a thriving segment of the general home furnishings retail industry during the 2000s. Consumers focused on the home and personalizing their environments, and the industry recognized these lifestyle directions by providing stylish yet relatively low-priced products.
Businesses involved in the sale of miscellaneous home furnishings are as varied as the goods they sell to consumers. They offer everything needed to furnish a home from kitchenware to linens, and lamps and shades to venetian blinds and window shades.
This industry covers establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of electric and gas refrigerators, stoves, and other household appliances, such as electric irons, percolators, hot plates, sewing machines, and vacuum cleaners. Many such stores also sell radio and television sets.
Despite a sluggish economy that turned stagnant following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and exacerbated by U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002 and Iraq in 2003, the sales of consumer electronics continues to grow.
This retail industry underwent tremendous growth in the 1990s, culminating with sales nearing $400 billion in 2000, a 12 percent increase over 1999. However, by 2001, a weakening economy, stiff competition, and price deflation hit the industry hard.
The prognosis for the retail music industry in the early years of the twenty-first century is not promising. Sales of compact discs (CDs) fell almost 9 percent during 2002 and were expected to continue to fall.
This category covers establishments primarily engaged in the retail sales of musical instruments, sheet music, and similar supplies.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of prepared food and drinks for on-premise or immediate consumption. Caterers and industrial food service establishments are also included in this industry.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of alcoholic drinks, such as beer, ale, wine, and liquor, for consumption on the premises. The sale of food frequently accounts for a substantial portion of the receipts of these establishments.
Establishments in this industry are engaged in the retail sale of prescription drugs, proprietary drugs, and nonprescription medicines and may also carry a number of related lines, such as cosmetics, toiletries, tobacco, and novelty merchandise. These stores are included on the basis of their usual trade designation rather than on the stricter interpretation of the commodities handled.
In 2001, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 28,695 establishments engaged in the retail sale of packaged alcoholic beverages.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of used merchandise, antiques, and secondhand goods, such as clothing and shoes, furniture, books and rare manuscripts, musical instruments, office furniture, phonographs and phonograph records, and store fixtures and equipment. This industry also includes pawnshops.
One of the most striking features characterizing the industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s was the consumer shift from smaller, local sporting goods stores to so-called "big-box" retailers, or sporting-goods superstores bringing together an exceptionally wide product line under one roof. Combined with the explosive growth in e-commerce sales of sporting and recreational goods, this development gave the industry a complete facelift.
As did the entire U.S. economy, booksellers struggled during the first years of the twenty-first century.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 8,787 establishments engaged in the retail sale of stationery in 2001, employing approximately 127,922 people with an annual payroll of $2.7 billion.
There were approximately 49,542 establishments engaged in the retail sale of jewelry in 2003. The total number of people employed in this industry was about 199,366.
In 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 10,783 establishments primarily engaged in the wholesale distribution of games, toys, hobby goods and supplies, dolls, craft kits, children's vehicles, fireworks, and playing cards.
The retail photographic supply industry has historically been a competitive one. Only six percent of households in the United States purchase cameras and photography supplies at camera specialty stores, with the vast majority purchasing through discount, drug, and supermarket stores.
This industry consists of establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of combined lines of gifts and novelty merchandise, souvenirs, greeting cards, holiday decorations, and miscellaneous small art goods.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of luggage, trunks, and leather goods.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of sewing supplies, fabrics, patterns, yarn, and other needlework accessories.
The catalog and mail-order house industry, or non-store retail industry, is comprised of establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of products through television, catalog, and direct mail. Such organizations include companies that sell book club memberships, magazines, and retail consumer and business products.
This industry consists of establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of products by means of automatic merchandising units, also referred to as vending machines. This industry does not include the operation of coin-operated service machines, such as music machines, amusement and game machines, and lockers and scales.
Retail companies that sell merchandise door-to-door, from trucks and wagons or from other temporary locations, make up the direct selling industry. Included are individuals who sell products by these methods and are not employees of the organizations they represent, as well as establishments that are retail sales offices from which employees operate to sell merchandise by house-to-house canvassing.
Dun and Bradstreet listed 8,391 establishments doing business under this industrial classification in 1997. Companies in this industry sell motor oil for vehicles and fuel oil for heating buildings, with the largest earnings coming from heating oil sales.
This industry consists of companies that primarily sell bottled or bulk liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, which is used mainly for heating homes and businesses in rural areas. This classification includes other byproducts of crude oil, such as bottled butane gas, used as an additive in gasoline and for lighters, and bottled propane gas, which is most often used to produce LP gas.
Establishments in this industry primarily sell coal, wood, and other fuels, not elsewhere classified.
According to the American Floral Endowment Consumer Tracking Study, conducted between June 1998 and May 1999, projected 1999 retail sales of floriculture items would reach $15 billion. Retail florist shops still dominated the industry, numbering 27,341 and averaging annual sales of $209,182 per shop.
This entry includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, and smokers' supplies.
Newsstands and news dealers occupy a nostalgic corner of modern urban history in the United States. A majority of such businesses are located in heavily populated areas, and are owned and operated by a single proprietor.
U.S. retail eyewear stores generated $15.8 billion in sales during 1998, a 2.6 increase over 1997.
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the retail trade of specialized lines of merchandise that are not included elsewhere, including art and architecture supplies; autographs, sets of coins, and related supplies; finished monuments and gravestones; cake decorating supplies; baby carriages; cosmetics; awnings and banners; candles; fireworks; rough gemstones and rock and stone specimens; home swimming pools (not installed); hearing aids; and trophy shops. It also includes ice dealers; hot tub and whirlpool bath dealers; orthopedic and artificial limbs stores; pet shops; rubber stamps stores; art dealers; auction rooms; typewriter stores; religious goods (other than books); telephone stores; and tent shops.