Retail

Retailers are part of an integrated system called the supply chain.

A retailer purchases goods or products in large quantities from manufacturers directly or through a wholesale, and then sells smaller quantities to the consumer for a profit.

Retailing can be done in either fixed locations like stores or markets, door-to-door or by delivery.

Retailing includes subordinated services, such as delivery.

The term "retailer" is also applied where a service provider services the needs of a large number of individuals, such as for the public.

Shops may be on residential streets, streets with few or no houses or in a shopping mall.

Shopping streets may be for pedestrians only.

Sometimes a shopping street has a partial or full roof to protect customers from precipitation.

Online retailing, a type of electronic commerce used for business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions and mail order, are forms of non-shop retailing.

Shopping generally refers to the act of buying products.

Sometimes this is done to obtain necessities such as food and clothing; sometimes it is done as a recreational activity.

Recreational shopping often involves window shopping (just looking, not buying) and browsing and does not always result in a purchase.