According to The Houston Chronicle, supermarkets and superstores both order inventory in bulk and usually belong to large chains, whereas grocery stores order products on an as-needed basis and are often independently owned.

The fundamental difference between a supermarket and a convenience store is the types of food they sell. Supermarkets offer a wider variety and more fresh foods, including produce and meats. Convenience stores typically only sell pre-packaged items, with maybe a couple of simple fruits like apples or bananas on display near the check-out area.

While food and drinks remain central to supermarkets, these stores devote more shelf space to other items than grocery stores. Supermarkets offer more household products, plus personal care products, cookware, and small kitchen appliances.

A supermarket refers to a huge retailing self-service shopping unit, which sells an extensive range of consumer goods at a significantly low margin. A hypermarket can be described as a mega retail outlet, which is a combination of departmental store and supermarket.