Dry goods

Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. ^[1] In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores^[1], though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England^[1] or even a century earlier.^[2] Dry goods can be carried by stores specializing only in those products (a type of specialty store), or may be carried by a general store or a department store.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Cole, George S. (1892). "Dry Goods". A Complete Dictionary of Dry Goods. Chicago: W. B. Conkey Company. http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Dictionary-of-Dry-Goods/Dry-Goods.html. 
2. ^ Definition of "dry goods" from Merriam-Webster
3. ^ "Retail middlemen of consumer goods". marketing-howto.com. http://www.marketing-howto.com/retail-middlemen.htm.