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What is a "Big-Box"?

Big-box store is a term that refers to a style of physically large chain store, and by extension to the company behind the store. The terms superstore, megastore, and supercenter also refer to these retail establishments.

Very large building usually associated with large chains such as Target and Wal-Mart, a superstore sells a wide range of products, from toys and electronics to clothing and groceries and even furniture, sporting goods and automotive supplies. These types of stores advertise "one stop shopping", where customers can stop just once at their store and buy everything they need or want. Most superstores are located on a single level, as opposed to many department stores which are often multi-leveled.

Superstores should not be confused with warehouse club stores, such as Sam's Club, Costco, and BJ's Wholesale Club. While many superstores are as large as some warehouse stores, superstores do not require the customer to purchase large quantities of items. The superstores provide the bulk breaking that warehouse stores lack.

The term "superstore" is also used for some large specialist retailers, such as Home Depot which fills the gap of building supplies in other superstores by supplying just those items in their stores. Another example is Fry's Electronics which stocks mostly high technology/electronics items, with occasional house appliances.

Opponents criticize big boxes especially for being visually overbearing, wasteful of open space, and deleterious to community and small businesses. In recent years commercial developers have chosen to build big box stores (often grouped together in so-called "power centers") in lieu of traditional shopping malls.

Typical characteristics include the following:
  • Large, free-standing, rectangular, generally single-floor structure built on a concrete slab. The flat roof and ceiling trusses are generally made of steel, the walls are concrete block clad in metal or masonry siding.
  • Floor space several times greater than traditional retailers in the sector. The size is generally more than 50,000 square feet and sometimes approaching 200,000 square feet, though varying by sector and market.
  • Location in suburban or rural areas, often in proximity to to a major corridor highway, as opposed to downtown shopping districts.

This design provides space for a large amount of merchandise and serves as an enormous billboard to attract customers. It is particularly favored by volume discount retailers.
 

Photo examples building sizes in the Murrysville Area

The Municipality of Murrysville defines a "Big Box" as a building structure 75,000 square feet or larger. Below are some aerial photos well known buildings in the Murrysville area along with the size of the structure. The following are sizes of area shopping centers and stores as a point of reference: Walnut Hollow Plaza - 35,000 square feet, Giant Eagle - 60,000 square feet, Village of Murrysville Plaza - 70,000 square feet, Wal-Mart - 155,000 square feet. All aerial photos below were taken in the same scale.


Wal-Mart, Salem Twp.
155,000 square feet
Click on the photo for a larger view
Giant Eagle, Murrysville
60,000 square feet
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Village of Murrysville Plaza
70,000 square feet
Click on the photo for a larger view