In British English, a haberdasher is a business or person who sells small articles for sewing, dressmaking and knitting, such as buttons, ribbons, and zippers;[1] in the United States, the term refers instead to a men's clothing store that sells suits, shirts, neckties, men's dress shoes, and other items.

In Britain, haberdashery shops, or haberdashers, were a mainstay of high street retail until recent decades, but are now uncommon, due to the decline in home dressmaking, knitting and other textile skills and hobbies, and the rise of internet shopping.

It is debatable what hapertas meant, but most likely it was some type of fabric or assorted small ware.

A haberdasher would retail small wares, the goods of the pedlar, while a mercer would specialize in "linens, silks, fustian, worsted piece-goods and bedding".

Flour and sugar are sold by the kilogram, or the hundredweight, or the tonne, but the customer specifies the weight of the item they want to purchase as multiples of a standard quantity.