Jobbing house
Encyclopedia
A jobbing house is a type of wholesale
merchant business that buys goods and bulk products from importers, other wholesalers, or manufacturers, and then sells to retail
ers. Jobbing houses can deal in any commodity
destined for the retail market. Typical categories are food, lumber
, hardware
, fuel
, and textiles. Some manufacturers are also jobbers for their own finished goods. Though common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the term has become archaic.
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
merchant business that buys goods and bulk products from importers, other wholesalers, or manufacturers, and then sells to retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
ers. Jobbing houses can deal in any commodity
Commodity
In economics, a commodity is the generic term for any marketable item produced to satisfy wants or needs. Economic commodities comprise goods and services....
destined for the retail market. Typical categories are food, lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, hardware
Hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
, fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
, and textiles. Some manufacturers are also jobbers for their own finished goods. Though common in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the term has become archaic.