Mall vs Department Store
There is a significant difference between a mall and a department store, although both serve people’s shopping needs. Malls and department stores differ in various ways. A department store is a retail business that specializes in meeting customers’ needs regarding personal and residential goods. In contrast, a mall consists of one or more buildings containing shops selling various products in one location. In other words, a mall can contain a department store, but a department store cannot house a mall.
What is a Mall?
The Oxford English dictionary defines a mall as “a large enclosed shopping area from which traffic is excluded.” This term is mainly used in North America. Malls typically have interconnecting walkways that allow shoppers to move between units with ease, a feature not found in department stores. Shopping malls are referred to by different names in different countries, such as shopping centers, shopping precincts, or town centers. A mall is not part of a retail chain of multiple stores but is a single location that sells almost all items. They are located in various parts of the same country and different countries under different names as separate units.
What is a Department Store?
According to the Oxford English dictionary, a department store is “a large shop stocking many varieties of goods in different departments.” Department stores do not have the interconnecting walkways found in malls that allow shoppers to move between units. This is because a department store is primarily a single building specializing in selling personal or household goods. Department stores are not referred to by many other different names. They typically sell products like apparel, home appliances, electronics, furniture, and other items such as hardware, cosmetics, toys, fashion jewelry, and more. A department store is part of the retail chain of multiple stores and is usually located in different regions of the same country or sometimes in different countries.
What is the difference between Mall and Department Store?
- A department store is a retail business establishment that specializes in satisfying customers’ needs for personal and residential goods.
- A mall consists of one or more buildings of shops selling different merchandise all in one place.
- A mall has interconnecting walkways enabling shoppers to go from one unit to another with ease, which is not seen in department stores.
- Department stores typically sell products like apparel, home appliances, electronics, furniture, and other items such as hardware, cosmetics, toys, fashion jewelry, and more.
- A department store is part of the retail chain of multiple stores.
- Department stores are usually located in different regions of the same country or sometimes in different countries.
- A mall is not part of the retail chain of multiple stores.
- Malls are located in different places in the same country and different countries under various names as separate units.
- A mall can house a department store, but a department store cannot house a mall.
