20 
BULLETIN 267, 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 JOBBER 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 
