In 1962, in Greenville Michigan, Meijer opened the United States' first supercenter outlet. Today, the store still operates in the supercenter format both online and off. It provides groceries, furniture, housewares, appliances, clothing, automobile accessories, sports equipment and more. Its site brings its offerings to the entire country.
Groceries are a prime product line for Meijer. Even its site offers, what amounts to, a full-fledged grocery store, with everything that can withstand shipping available online. Coffee, candy, baking supplies, canned goods and condiments are just a few of the types of items available in the grocery category.
Clothes make up another major product line for Meijer. The company's clothing department carries hundreds of outfits at any given time. Its lines cover infants, toddlers, older children and adults. Some plus-sized clothes are available. The company also carries shoes, handbags, sunglasses and other wardrobe accessories.
Meijer carries an ample line of hardware, electrical supplies, paint and similar items. While its hardware-store aspect doesn't have the selection of a dedicated big box hardware store, it admirably covers all common do-it-yourself needs. The company also offers appliances, auto accessories, water filtration systems and other durable home products.
The company's supercenter status is further cemented by its housewares department. It carries a good selection of small kitchen appliances like toasters, coffee makers, blenders and similar items. It also offers non-electrical cooking equipment like baking sheets, frying pans and pie plates. A large selection of kitchen gadgets rounds out this area of their selections.
One of the outstanding aspects of Meijer's housewares line is the presence of small versions of major appliances. Mini fridges, compact washers and dryers, wine chillers and more are available in sizes that are easy to fit into tight spaces.
The home decor aspect of Meijer is very extensive. It has a wide range of small items like contact paper, trash cans and even mouse traps. On the large end, it provides an excellent selection of affordable furniture. This furniture includes individual pieces as well as full sets. It has a huge selection of chairs ranging all the way from the beanbag variety up to formal dining styles. Tables are available in forms ranging from TV tables to outdoor varieties.
For the outdoors, the company offers a great range of tools, fertilizers and pesticides. It also has decorative outdoor items like trellises and garden fencing. To make gardening even easier, it has equipment like hose reels, bins and rain barrels. The company also offers innovative products like rubber mulch.
Meijer's offerings are topped off by a full health and beauty department. This department offers name brand, over-the-counter medicines along with their generic equivalents. It also has popular grocery store cosmetics brands like Revlon and Cover Girl.
Despite the fame of nationwide stores, it's clear that Meijer is the true master of the supercenter. Unlike the newcomers, this chain has had decades of experience.
