Retailing services consist of the sale of goods/merchandise for personal or household consumption either from a fixed location such as a Department store or Kiosk, or away from a fixed location and related subordinated services. In Commerce, a retailer buys goods or products in large quantities from manufacturers or importers, either directly or through a wholesaler, and then sells individual items or small quantities to the general public or end user customers, usually in a shop, also called store. Retailers are at the end of the Supply chain. Marketers see retailing as part of their overall distribution strategy.
Shops may be on residential streets, or in shopping streets with little or no houses, or in a shopping center or Shopping mall. Shopping streets may or may not be for pedestrians only. Sometimes a shopping street has a partial or full Roof to protect customers from precipitation.
Shopping is buying things, sometimes as a recreational activity. Cheap versions of the latter are window shopping (just looking, not buying) and browsing.
The first is counter sevice , Nowadays not seen. But still exists in some places , mostly rural places. The second type is self service. This is the widely used method of selling. Eventhough most of retailing done by self service, inside these shops , can see some counter service items. These are because of controlled items like medicines, liquors, and other commodities that requires assistance to the customer.
A large shop is called a superstore or megastore. A shop with many different kinds of articles is called a Department store.
Many shops are part of a chain: a number of similar shops with the same name selling the same products in different locations. The shops may be owned by one company, or there may be a Franchising company that has franchising agreements with the shop owners (see also Restaurant chain).
Some shops sell second-hand goods. Often the public can also sell goods to such shops. In other cases, especially in the case of a nonprofit shop, the public donates goods to the shop to be sold (see also thrift store). In give-away shops goods can be taken for free.
The term retailer is also applied where a service provider services the needs of a large number of individuals, such as with Telephone or Electric power.
In Western countries, retail prices are often so-called psychological prices or odd prices: a little less than a round number, e.g. $ 6.95. In Chinese societies, prices are generally either a round number or sometimes some lucky number. This creates price points.
Often prices are fixed and displayed on signs or labels. Alternatively, there can be Price discrimination for a variety of reasons. The retailer charges higher prices to some customers and lower prices to others. For example, a customer may have to pay more if the seller determines that he or she is willing to. The retailer may conclude this due to the customer's wealth, carelessness, lack of knowledge, or eagerness to buy. Price discrimination can lead to a Bargaining situation often called haggling - a Negotiation about the price. Economists see this as determining how the transaction's total surplus will be divided into consumer and producer surplus. Neither party has a clear advantage, because the threat of no sale exists, whence the surplus vanishes for both.