Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer (also called purveyor) was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and (later) cocoa, tea and coffee. These items were bought in bulk, hence the term grocer from the French "grossier" meaning wholesaler.
As increasing numbers of staple foodstuffs became available in cans and other less-perishable packaging, the trade expanded its province. Today, grocers deal in a wide-range of staple food-stuffs including such perishables as meats, produce and dairy products. Such goods are, hence, groceries.
In the United States and United Kingdom, supermarkets and convenience stores are sometimes described as grocery businesses, or simply grocers.[note 1] The early supermarkets began as chains of grocer's shops. Clarence Saunders of Memphis, Tennessee invented the self-service grocery store with open stock in 1916, for which he received a US patent.
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GROCER, literally one who sells by the gross, a wholesale dealer; the word is derived through the O. Fr. form, grossia, from the Med. Lat. grossarius, defined by du Cange, Glossarium, s.v. Grossares, as solidae mercis propola. The name, as a general one for dealers by wholesale, " engrossers " as opposed to " regrators," the retail dealers, is found with the commodity attached; thus in the Munimenta Gildhallae (" Rolls series) ii. 1.304 (quoted in the New English Dictionary) is found an allusion to grossours de y in, cf. groser of fysshe, Surtees Misc. (1888) 63, for the customs of Mahon (quoted ib.). The specific application of the word to one who deals either by wholesale or retail in tea, coffee, cocoa, dried fruits, spices, sugar and all kinds of articles of use or consumption in a household is connected with the history of the Grocers' Company of London, one of the twelve " great " livery companies. In 1345 the pepperers and the spicers amalgamated and were known as the Fraternity of St Anthony. The name " grocers " first appears in 1373 in the records of the company. In 1386 the association was granted a right of search over all " spicers " in London, and in 1 394 they obtained the right to inspect or " garble " spices and other " subtil wares." Their first charter was obtained in 1428; letters patent in 1447 granted an extension of the right of search over the whole county, but removed the " liberties " of the city of London. They sold all kinds of drugs, medicines, ointments, plasters, and medicated and other waters. For the separation of the apothecaries from the grocers in 1617 see Apothecary. (See further Livery Companies.) See The Grocery Trade, by J. Aubrey Rees (1910).
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