Merchandise Sold

Tables/Charts:

Merchandise Sold by General Merchandise Stores, 2007

Merchandise Sold by Health and Personal Care Stores, 2007

Merchandise Sold by E-Shopping and Mail-Order Houses, 2007

Summary Points:

Apparel was the largest category of items sold by general merchandise stores in 2007, totaling $121.6 billion. Apparel sales combined with footwear sales totaled $132.6 billion in 2007.

Groceries and foods constituted the second largest category of items purchased in general merchandise stores by consumers in 2007. Sales totaled $121.1 billion.

Drugs and health and beauty aids were the third largest category of purchased goods, totaling $60.1 billion in 2007.

Drugs and health and beauty aids were the largest category of purchased items in health and personal care stores, totaling $198.8 billion in 2007.

Of greater interest, food is the third largest category of purchased goods in health and personal care stores. Sales totaled $7.5 billion.

Drugs and health and beauty aids rank as the largest category of goods purchased from E-shopping and mail-order houses. Consumers spent $64.5 billion on these items.

Consumers spent $32.0 billion on computer hardware, software and related supplies in 2007, ranking these categories, as a group, the second largest category of items purchased from E-shopping and mail-order houses.

Apparel was the third largest category, totaling $20.4 billion of purchases from E-shopping and mail-order houses.

Merchandise Sold by General Merchandise Stores, 2007 (NAICS Definitions, Millions of Dollars, and Percent)
Merchandise Line	Sales	Share of Total
Total	$578,007.7	100.0%
Apparel	$121,645.0	21.00
Children's wear	50,139.4	8.7
Women's, juniors', and misses' wear	46,633.8	8.0
Men's wear	24,871.8	4.3
Groceries and other foods	121,139.9	21.0
Drugs, health aids and beauty aids	60,051.5	10.4
Toys, hobby goods, and games	43,904.7	7.6
Paper and related products	14,538.9	2.5
Televisions, video equipment, and videotapes	14,002.0	2.4
Kitchenware and home furnishings	13,105.1	2.3
Footwear	10,991.1	1.9
Major household appliances	10,567.3	1.8
Pets, pet foods and pet supplies	9,254.1	1.6
Sporting goods	8,864.4	1.5
Furniture and sleep equipment	7,855.9	1.4
Computers, software and supplies	7,741.5	1.3
Cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco	7,708.3	1.3
Lawn and garden equipment	7,463.1	1.3
Hardware, tools, and related goods	7,389.1	1.3
Jewelry	7,370.1	1.3
Audio equipment and musical instruments	6,732.5	1.2
Packaged alcoholic beverages	5,828.9	1.0
Small electric appliances	5,617.7	1.0
Photographic equipment and supplies	3,307.5	0.6
Non-merchandise receipts	2,934.3	0.5
Meals, unpackaged foods, and nonalcoholic drinks	2,245.8	0.4
Books	2,151.1	0.4
Optical goods	2,096.7	0.3
Floor and floor coverings	1,634.2	0.3
Paint and related supplies	1,085.2	0.2
Sewing, knitting and needlework goods	897.7	0.1
Lumber, other building materials and supplies	102.9	0.0
All other merchandise	69,781.2	12.1
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

Merchandise Sold by Health & Personal Care Stores (NAICS Definitions, Millions of Dollars, and Percent)
Merchandise Line	Sales	Share of Total
Total	$235,601.6	100.0%
Prescription and non-prescription medicines	158,290.5	67.2
Cosmetic and hygiene products	22,203.0	9.4
Vitamins and health aids (incl. hearing aids)	18,349.2	7.8
Optical goods	7,861.9	3.3
Food	7,469.5	3.2
Non-merchandise receipts	3,240.0	1.4
Packaged alcoholic beverages	2,117.9	0.9
Bottles, canned, or packaged soft drinks	2,041.8	0.9
Cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco	1,885.7	0.8
Soaps, detergents, and cleaners	1,367.3	0.6
Paper and related products	1,20%.1	0.5
Greeting cards	1,213.4	0.5
Stationery products	1,048.9	0.4
Toys, hobby goods, and games	918.0	0.4
Televisions, video equipment, and videotapes	792.1	0.3
Small electric appliances	760.4	0.3
Hardware, tools, and related goods	406.6	0.2
Office and school equipment and supplies	399.6	0.2
Photographic equipment and supplies	309.9	0.1
Kitchenware and home furnishings	243.3	0.1
Apparel	174.6	0.1
Women's, juniors', and misses' wear	88.4	0.0
Men's wear	75.6	0.0
Children's wear	10.6	0.0
Magazines and newspapers	169.2	0.1
Footwear	158.2	0.1
Pets, pet foods and pet supplies	154.6	0.1
Books	102.9	0.1
Meals, unpackaged foods, and alcoholic drinks	80.1	0.0
Lawn and garden equipment	75.2	0.0
Jewelry	73.5	0.0
Audio equipment and musical instruments	46.4	0.0
Sporting goods	11.4	0.0
Sewing, knitting and needlework goods	8.5	0.0
All other merchandise	2,410.9	1.0
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

Merchandise Sold by E-Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (NAICS Definitions, Millions of Dollars, and Percent)
Merchandise Line	Sales	Share of Total
Total	$215,963.2	100.0%
Prescriptions	55,618.9	25.8
Computers and peripheral equipment	28,483.6	13.2
Apparel	20,369.6	9.4
Women's, juniors', and misses' wear	14,809.5	6.9
Men's wear	4,032.4	1.9
Children's wear	1,527.7	0.7
Nonprescription drugs,vitamins, health and beauty aids	8,908.4	4.1
Jewelry	7,738.7	3.6
Books	7,607.6	3.5
Televisions, video equipment, and videotapes	6,430.9	3.0
Kitchenware and home furnishings	6,316.2	2.9
Audio equipment and musical instruments	6,149.7	2.8
Sporting goods	5,607.1	2.6
Toys, hobby goods, and games	5,145.8	2.4
Furniture and sleep equipment	5,050.2	2.3
Office and school equipment and supplies	4,869.1	2.3
Automobile parts and accessories	4,721.7	2.2
Groceries and other foods	4,531.0	2.1
Curtains, draperies and furniture coverings	4,473.9	2.1
Footwear	3,915.8	1.8
Prepackaged computer software	3,490.2	1.6
Lawn and garden equipment	2,508.4	1.2
Non-merchandise receipts	1,986.2	0.9
Hardware, tools, and related goods	1,795.8	0.8
Small electric appliances	1,791.2	0.8
Pets, pet foods and pet supplies	1,768.2	0.8
Automobiles	1,366.0	0.6
Major household appliances	1,041.9	0.5
Photographic equipment and supplies	626.8	0.3
Cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco	548.2	0.3
Floor coverings	436.3	0.2
Packaged alcoholic beverages	418.7	0.2
Sewing, knitting and needlework goods	368.7	0.2
Paper and related products	74.1	0.0
All other merchandise	11,804.3	5.5
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.