[Tagging] shop=discount

[Paul Allen]

On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 2:01 PM, Martin Koppenhoefer <dieterdreist at gmail.com
> wrote:

>
> indeed Aldi is the first (at least in Europe) to operate this way. It is
> not unlikely the discount store description in wikipedia was influenced by
> Germans https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discount_store
>
> and names Aldi and Lidl as examples:
>

Again, I have to say that in the UK people think of Aldi and Lidl as
supermarkets.  Cheaper, different brands, but in
the same mental category as Tesco and Safeway.

"Meanwhile, a "speciality", "single line" or "category killer
> <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_killer>" discount store/shop,
> such as Toys "R" Us <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toys_%22R%22_Us> or
> Staples <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staples_Inc>, may specialise in
> specific merchandise lines, relying on bulk purchase and efficient
> distribution to keep down costs.[1]
> <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discount_store#cite_note-1>“
>

I'd categorize Toys "R" Us as a toy store and Staples as an office supply
store.  As somebody else said in this
thread, we shouldn't be tagging shops differently because their prices are
lower.  People don't look up shops
selling at a discount and go there to buy something they didn't want; they
look up shops selling what they want
to buy and then compare prices.  "Today I want to buy something, ANYTHING,
at a discount but I can't decide
whether to go to Toys "R" Us or Staples."  Doesn't happen.  "Today I need
office supplies, do I go to the the
office supply shop a mile away or Staples 30 miles away?"  Does happen.  I
think it would be a big mistake to
tag Toys "R" Us and Staples as discount stores, no matter what Wikipedia
says.

Meanwhile, there probably is a need to tag a kind of store that is
sometimes referred to as a discount store.  I'm
thinking of the likes of Costco or Sam's Club.  They're essentially
wholesalers operating on a cash and carry basis
and which are open to the public, not just retailers (but you may need to
pay a membership fee).  Sometimes known
as "Retail Warehouses" and sometimes as "Cash and Carries" (but that
originally meant wholesale only, and
originally originally appears to have been a trademark of the specific
wholesaler who came up with the idea).  They sell
what supermarkets and convenience stores sell, but you buy in bulk.

So, if there is actually a need for this (which I'm sure some people will
dispute) do we repurpose shop=discount for
these or have something new?  Either way (if we do it at all), how do we
distinguish between wholesale-only, retail-only
and wholesale-and-retail?

-- 
Paul
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