Department store

Department stores, sometimes formatted as Dept. store, are shops commonly appearing in EarthBound Beginnings and EarthBound. They sell various items, including medicines, food, weapons, armors, miscellaneous goods, and teddy bears. They generally have an ATM on the first floor, as well as a payphone, which costs one dollar per use.

In EarthBound Beginnings
In EarthBound Beginnings, department stores are the main places where the player can buy the necessary adventure items like healing items, medicine and weapons, they are divided into multiple floors specializing in different items. The bottom floor always includes an ATM and a payphone, and the clerk at the counter allows Ninten's party to sell unneeded items, while the upper floors vary depending on the town. Department stores are marked by a blue sign.

The Podunk department store is vital to finish the game, as the pet store there sells the Canary Chick belonging to Laura, who bears the second melody. All major towns have a department store, while smaller towns such as Snowman instead have a simple shop with a smaller selection of items, similar to drug stores in the second game. Department stores can be found in the following towns:
 * Podunk
 * Merrysville
 * Reindeer
 * Ellay

In EarthBound
There are only two department stores in EarthBound; Twoson's Department Store, and Fourside's Grand Department Store, which plays a major role in the game. Drug stores found in smaller towns serve a similar purpose, with a much smaller selection. Like the first game, the first floor has a payphone and ATM in both towns' department stores. The other floors in Twoson's contain a bakery, burger shop, tool shop and drugstore, and Fourside's has a seasonings stand, arms dealer, sports shop, and toy shop in addition to the stores found in Twoson.

The Fourside Grand Department Store serves an important purpose in the story, as during a blackout Paula is kidnapped while exiting the store on the first visit, then Ness battles the Department Store Spook on the top floor.

Trivia

 * The Merrysville Department store was altered in the English release and Mother 1+2 to accommodate the . The originally sold there can instead be obtained from a man outside after taking his survey.
 * The Fourside Grand Department Store was originally intended to appear in the background of the revamped stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, it is absemt in the final release.