A general store is usually a retailer located in a small town or in a rural area with a broad selection of merchandise crammed into a relatively small space.

General stores often sell important food items such as milk and bread, and various breakfast items. The concept of the general store is very old, and although some still exist, there are far fewer than there once were, due to urbanization and suburban sprawl.

During the first half of the 20th century, general stores were displaced in many areas by many different types of specialized retailers. But from the 1960s through the 1990s, many small specialized retailers were in turn crushed by the so-called "category killers," which are "big-box" retailers large enough to carry the majority of best-selling goods in a specific category like sporting goods or office supplies.

However, the convenience inherent in the general store has been revived in the form of the modern convenience store. Also, the hypermarket can be seen as taking the general store concept to its largest possible implementation.