20 BULLETIN* 26*7,, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



commission men and in turn sell to the retail trade ; in other words, 

 they are intermediaries between primary receivers and retailers. 

 The term as here used must be distinguished from the term 

 "jobber" as used in connection with wholesale distribution for 

 manufacturing concerns, where the jobber distributes the total out- 

 put of several factories direct to large wholesale houses. 



Jobbers in fruits and vegetables get their supplies from com- 

 mission merchants, car-lot wholesalers, auctions, and public markets, 

 and in turn sell to the retailer or to other jobbers. The chief outlet 

 for the jobber, however, is the retailer. Methods of sale by jobbers 

 and car-lot wholesalers are practically identical. The jobber, acting 

 as the intermediary between the car-lot wholesaler and the retailer, 

 buys in less than car lots, as a rule, makes quick sales, operates on a 

 relatively small margin, and secures his profits by rapidly turning 

 over his capital. 



In general, the jobber is subject to much the same charges and 

 costs of doing business as the car-lot wholesaler. Often, however, 

 these costs are relatively less in proportion to the quantity of produce 

 handled. The jobber usually has a smaller initial investment than 

 the car-lot wholesaler, hence his general expenses may not run quite 

 so high. 



THE JOBBEK'S PLACE IN DISTRIBUTION. 



The jobber's chief usefulness at the present time is in facilitating 

 the rapid distribution of extremely perishable products. A car of 

 strawberries, for instance, will usually be disposed of much more 

 rapidly when handled by several jobbers than would be the case if 

 a single car-lot wholesaler attempted to complete the distribution to 

 the retail trade. With the growth of standardization, better grad- 

 ing and packing, together with greater efficiency in the business of 

 car-lot receivers, it is possible that many of the present functions of 

 the jobber may be assumed by the car-lot wholesaler. This applies 

 to our smaller markets especially. On the great terminal markets, 

 however, the jobbers must remain important factors for some time 

 to come. In these cities they sell to the vast number of those retailers 

 who buy in small quantities and who can not take time or trouble 

 to go to primary markets and select their goods. 



If the entire retail trade were to attempt to get in direct touch with 

 car-lot wholesalers on our large markets, the congestion of business 

 would be so great as to block most seriously the economical move- 

 ment of perishable food products. 



PUBLIC MARKETS. 



Public markets draw a considerable portion of their supplies 

 from producers in neighboring districts. They are patronized by 



