A discount store is a type of department store, which sells products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets. Most discount department stores offer a wide assortment of goods; others specialize in such merchandise as jewelry, electronic equipment, or electrical appliances. Discount stores are not variety stores, which sell goods at a single price-point or multiples thereof (£1, $2, etc.). Discount stores differ from variety stores in that they sell many name-brand products, and because of the wide price range of the items offered. Following World War II, a number of retail establishments in the U.S. began to pursue a high-volume, low-profit-margin strategy designed to attract price-conscious consumers. This strategy has received renewed interest from retailers and customers alike stemming from the Great Recession that began in 2009 that forced buyers to revisit the approach to the products they wanted.
Currently Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, operates more than 1,300 discount stores in the U.S. Target and Kmart are Walmart's top competitors.