Research Resources

'O' Supermarket Terms

The following term(s) meet your search criteria:

  • occupancy

    The costs associated with a building (either a distribution center or store), including lease payments or amortized capital outlay, plus all maintenance and utilities.

  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

    A federal agency that sets workplace safety standards and inspects facilities for safe working conditions.

  • off-invoice (OI)

    A method of payment for a manufacturer's trade deal or promotion where the amount of the allowance for merchandise is deducted from the manufacturer's invoice.

  • off-label

    A special label affixed to a package or can that indicates a lower-grade of product.

  • off-line

    A condition when the computerized system goes down and the back up system is utilized to continue processing data, e.g., register system, printing invoices.

  • off-shelf

    A special product display that is not part of the regular store set, e.g., seasonal merchandise or promotion items.

  • OI

    Off-invoice.

  • OJT

    On-the-job training.

  • on sale items

    An item that is temporarily reduced in price, advertised or not advertised, and marked by in-store signs.

  • one-stop shopping

    A store that provides a wide variety of products and services at one location.

  • online debit

    Accessing a customer's checking account for payment in real-time.

  • on-pack promotion

    A coupon or premium attached to a product.

  • on-premises bakery

    An in-store bakery that produces a variety of baked goods from scratch or by bake-off procedures.

  • Ontario Food Processors Association

    6533 Unit C, Mississauga Rd. Mississauga, Ontario Canada L5N 1A6 (416) 821-2321

  • on-the-job-training (OJT)

    An instructional method to teach employees skills as they work.

  • O-O-S

    See out-of-stock.

  • open account

    A business or person with a line of credit that is not backed by collateral.

  • open dating

    A date stamped or printed on the label of perishable items to indicate a pull date (a date by which the item must be sold or removed from the shelf) or pack date (the date the item was packaged). Clear, readable dates that are printed on labels, telling t

  • open stock

    A product offered in a normal case or pack that is purchased and sold at regular price; a product that is not bought in a special pack or as part of a manufacturer's production.

  • opening funds

    The money on hand the first day of a week or at the start of a cashier's shift.

  • operating expenses

    The costs of operating a business.

  • operating income

    Net sales minus all direct and indirect operating costs and before deducting the cost of capital, extraordinary items and taxes.

  • operating statement

    An accounting statement that itemizes revenues, expenses and profits of a department, store, division, company or other business unit. Also referred to as a P&L statement or income statement.

  • operations

    A division responsible for overall store operations and performance, including personnel, finance, warehousing and distribution.

  • operator

    A retailer who owns and operates a grocery store.

  • opportunity cost of capital

    A possible rate of return on the next best use of dollars invested by a company.

  • optical fiber

    (fiber-optic cable). A tiny (smaller than a hair) cable made of glass and plastic.

  • order book

    A printed catalog of products in stock and a price listing used to place orders with a wholesaler and distributor.

  • order code

    A product's number used to order items from a warehouse.

  • order fill rate

    The rate per hour that a selector or a shift of selectors assembles orders in a warehouse.

  • order form

    A form used to list products to be ordered, along with sizes, quantities and prices.

  • order lead time

    The time lag between receipt of a retailer's order by a wholesaler or vendor and delivery of the products to the store; the time needed to process, select, load and transport. See lead time.

  • order padding

    An increase in a retailer's order without his/her permission, approval, or confirmation.

  • order picking

    Selecting and assembling an order at the warehouse or distribution center for loading.

  • order point

    The amount of inventory on hand in a warehouse or store used to determine when to purchase replacement stock.

  • ordering number

    See code number.

  • order-to-order credit

    A transaction term that means that payment in full is required before a second order can be placed.

  • organically grown

    An imprecise term that means a grower did not use chemicals or that a processor did not use preservatives in a product.

  • orientation

    In electronic space management, product placement and positioning on the shelf.

  • OS&Ds

    Overs, shorts and damages.

  • OS/2

    An IBM operating system for computers.

  • OSHA

    Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

  • O-T-C

    Over-the-counter.

  • other assets

    All assets except property and equipment with a life exceeding one year, e.g., investment in other companies, long-term receivables.

  • other current assets

    Assets with a life of less than one year, e.g., cash accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and short-term investments.

  • other income

    All non-operating income, e.g., interest income, gain on sales of securities.

  • out of code

    A product with an expired code date.

  • outbound

    The direction and flow of customer traffic just prior to entering the checkout aisles and leaving the store. Also, the flow of products out of a warehouse after order selection.

  • out-of-stock (O-O-S)

    A product temporarily oversold and unavailable in a retail store. Also, product not in supply in the warehouse. In wholesaling, it is a customer service standard used and measured as a percentage of orders placed that cannot be filled. Also known as Outs.

  • outside salesperson

    A wholesaler's marketing employee who visits retailers to order products and services, to provide management reports and to do merchandise displays.

  • ovenable

    A food ready to be heated, either in an oven or microwave.

  • over & under

    A management standard for cash-register receipts and for inventory discrepancies, e.g., breakage, price adjustments.

  • overhead

    The basic direct and indirect costs of a business operation, such as labor, rent, utilities and insurance. Total operating costs, including fixed and variable expenses.

  • override

    The management authorization needed to continue operating a cash register once preset HALO or LALO levels are exceeded. Usually done by inserting a key and entering code numbers.

  • over-ring

    The ringing or scanning of the price of a product higher than its shelf price.

  • overs, shorts, damages (OSDs)

    A discrepancy between products ordered and those received.

  • overstock

    An excessive amount of product purchased in anticipation of increased sales volume.

  • overstoring

    A concentration of too many retail stores that saturates a market and cuts into the profits of each store.

  • overwire hanger

    Hanging signs visible on both sides to customers.

  • over-wrap

    To wrap a plastic container in cellophane to prevent tampering.

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