A discount store or discounter offers a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down costs.

discount store, in merchandising, a retail store that sells products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets. Some discount stores are similar to department stores in that they offer a wide assortment of goods; indeed, some are called discount department stores.