The following term(s) meet your search criteria:

  • faced

    The pulling forward of product to the edge of the gondola shelf to make the display appear fully stocked. Also known as face-up or facing up.

  • face-up

    A shelf's-edge arrangement of merchandise to make a display shelf look full.

  • facings

    The number of units in width an item occupies on the front row of a store shelf.

  • fact sheet

    A manufacturer's promotional sheet for sales calls.

  • factory pack

    A standard-sized shipping carton.

  • failure fee

    A manufacturer's payment to retailers for merchandise that does not sell as expected and is being dropped from the retailer's inventory.

  • fancy foods

    Gourmet, specialty, or special-occasion foods.

  • fat content

    The amount of fat in a particular product.

  • FDA

    Food and Drug Administration.

  • FDI

    Food Distributors International.

  • featured special

    A product featured in advertisements.

  • features

    Products featured in a current advertising promotion to attract customers.

  • FEIF

    Food Executives International Foundation.

  • fermentation

    A breakdown in organic compounds caused by a leavening agent, such as the effect of yeast on flour.

  • FF&D standards

    Federal Food & Drug Standards are federal rules that address quality standards of foods and drugs for human consumption.

  • FICA

    Federal Insurance Contributions Act, a mandatory withholding used for Social Security.

  • field broker

    A fruit and vegetable grower's representative who sells and ships produce.

  • field representative

    A manufacturer's or wholesaler's representative who sells products and services accounts. See supervisor.

  • FIFO

    First in, first out.

  • fillet

    A boned, trimmed, lean piece of fish.

  • fill-ins or fill-in order

    A supplementary order needed to replace product that was either forgotten, not delivered or out-of-stock.

  • final order date

    The last date to place an order to receive product allowances.

  • final ship date

    The last date to ship an order to qualify for product allowances.

  • first in, first out (FIFO)

    An inventory rotation system to sell older products before newer products.

  • fiscal year

    A 12-month period that a company or government uses for bookkeeping purposes.

  • fish steaks

    A cross-section cut from whole fish in 3/4 to 1-inch thick, skin-on slices.

  • fixed assets

    See assets, fixed.

  • fixed costs

    See costs, fixed.

  • fixed dating or fixed terms

    An accounting term that sets a payment date.

  • fixture (fixturing)

    Displays, such as grocery shelves, a freezer case, a magazine or card rack, used to exhibit merchandise.

  • flagship store

    The prototype for a retail store chain.

  • flanker

    A manufacturer's product modification for an established product., e.g., blue M&Ms.

  • flash sheet

    A manufacturer's promotional summary to promote selected sale products to retailers. Also known as a sell sheet.

  • flats

    Platforms used to store products.

  • flexible allowance

    Choice given to a retailer to select the payment method

  • float

    The amount of time that a check is in circulation; the period between the time a check is written and when it is cashed.

  • floor care

    A specific program designed to keep floors clean and attractive.

  • floor merchandiser

    A movable, free-standing fixture, such as: a spinner, which revolves; a rack; a fixed, portable unit; a floorstand; a disposable, cardboard unit; a prepack; a disposable display with products inside; and folding tables; for special displays.

  • floor stock

    Merchandise stored by a retailer to replenish shelves between deliveries. Also known as back stock.

  • floor stock protection

    An agreement to protect a retailer from a loss if a product's price goes down in a certain time period.

  • flow through distribution

    A form of cross-docking; products are broken down into individual cases which are sorted, transferred and put on pallets to ship to retail stores.

  • flyer

    An advertisement that is mailed or inserted into newspapers.

  • FMI

    FMI, The Food Industry Association. Formerly the Food Marketing Institute.

  • food broker

    An agent who negotiates contracts, buys and sells food and other merchandise to retail food stores.

  • food cost

    A calculation of the price of each ingredient used to prepare foods, such as potato salad.

  • food guide pyramid

    A federal government picture of a healthy diet, with the most essential items, cereals and grains, at the bottom, and the least essential, fats and sweets, at the top.

  • food mass merchandiser

    A supercenter that offers a wide variety of food and non-food merchandise. These stores average 150,000 square feet and typically devote 40 percent of the space to grocery items and 60 percent to General Merchandise/Health and Beauty Care (GM/HBC) and other non-food items.

  • food service

    The preparation and sale of ready-to-eat food items, snacks and meals.

  • food stamps

    A federal benefits program for low-income families, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

  • food stand

    A disposable, usually cardboard, floor merchandiser.

  • food store

    A retail operation that sells food products.

  • food/drug combo

    A combination superstore-drug store under a single roof that share checkout lanes. General Merchandise/Health and Beauty Care (GM/HBC) represents at least one-third of the selling area and a minimum of 15 percent of store sales.

  • footballing

    A competitive strategy to rapidly increase sales volume by sharply cutting prices.

  • footprint

    The amount of square footage in a store used by a piece of equipment or display unit.

  • forced deposit

    A fee placed on recyclable bottles to promote bottle returns for a refund.

  • forced distribution

    The total allotment of product that a retail chain automatically distributes to its stores without specific orders. Also called a force out.

  • forecast

    A projection of sales volume.

  • forklift

    A vehicle with projecting prongs that slide under a pallet to move merchandise in a warehouse or store.

  • forward buy

    A retail practice of holding products until the end of a promotion to increase profits. Also known as a buyout.

  • four-way pallet

    A pallet accessible by equipment from all four sides.

  • frame

    A module of text on the World Wide Web, which is used to break up text that is hard to read on a computer screen. The unit of information transferred across a data link.

  • frame relay network

    A local-area, wide-area or global network of computers that uses nodes to send digital messages in pieces back and forth until an open line is found for transmission of a packet of information, which is reassembled in the correct order on delivery.

  • franchise

    A contractual agreement on a brand, service, name, operation or procedure.

  • franchise store

    An independently owned store affiliated with a wholesale group and sharing a common name. A license to use a chain's name.

  • franchised department

    See leased department.

  • franchised label or franchised brand

    A label, name, or design that a sectional distributor may use as its private label in an assigned area.

  • free goods promotion

    A manufacturer's incentive to retailers or wholesalers that offers free product in exchange for the purchase of a specific quantity.

  • free standing

    A store located by itself or in an unplanned shopping area.

  • free standing display

    A display built straight from the floor and not attached to a fixture.

  • free standing insert (FSI)

    A manufacturer's advertisement and coupons put into a separate section of a newspaper.

  • free time period

    The time period allocated to load or unload a truck or rail car without incurring additional charges.

  • free trader

    A retailer with access to capital who buys in high volume from many suppliers on a cash basis.

  • freezer

    An enclosed, refrigerated storage area that preserves frozen products below 0 degree F.

  • freezer burn

    The loss of moisture that affects frozen food. The white or gray spots caused by improper packing or food handling.

  • freezer life

    The length of time a product can be stored at 0 degree F and retain good proofing and baking characteristics.

  • freight bill

    A receipt showing the total cost of a shipment. Shippers pay for prepaid freight bills and receivers pay destination freight bills.

  • freight paid

    An expense added to a product's retail price.

  • freight rate

    The transportation costs for shipping products by rail, truck or other means that may be based on a formula of total weight, revenue and mileage.

  • frequent shopper program

    An electronic marketing program designed to reinforce customer loyalty. A scan card used to capture customer shopping patterns and to generate product discounts (clipless coupons). See electronic marketing.

  • fresh

    Just picked, gathered, produced, live or unprocessed, not stale, food. A term associated with perimeter departments, including produce, deli, bakery, or floral. Also unfrozen.

  • fresh pack

    Seasonal food products processed quickly; usually at the growing location.

  • freshness control

    A program to liquidate short-coded, overstocked merchandise to prevent its accumulation.

  • front desk

    A service counter.

  • front end

    The designated area of a retail store for customer checkouts and bagging stands. It may include a Service Center, Counting Room for Monies, MIS Office and Manager's Office.

  • fronts

    The number of shelf facings for a product.

  • frozen assets

    See assets, frozen.

  • frozen food distribution center

    A refrigerated warehouse for the storage and distribution of frozen foods.

  • frozen foods

    Food preserved by freezing, such as fruits, vegetables, specialty foods, dinners and ice cream.

  • fryer

    A term for a whole chicken.

  • FSI

    Free-standing insert.

  • full service

    Merchandiser arrangements with retailers in which product prices include all services, such as order writing, prepricing, delivery, shelf merchandising and guaranteed sales.

  • full truck

    See truckload order.

  • full-line drug

    A store that sells general merchandise (GM), health and beauty care (HBC), over the counter (OTC) and prescription drugs.

  • full-line wholesale grocer

    A wholesaler who provides a complete selection of products and services to retailers, such as accounting services, retail training modules and services, MIS information and reporting and newspaper ad layouts.

  • future order

    An order for perishable products before the beginning of a season; future orders are often used as collateral for loans by packers/manufacturers. See field broker.