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retail merchant

retail merchant

2.8
A person or company that sells goods to people in small amounts for them to use
  • noun
  • /ˈriːteɪl ˈmɜːrʧənt/
translation icon : comerciante minorista
  • After researching various options, the retail merchant provided exactly what I needed for my project.

Examples

  • The retail merchant offered discounts to attract more customers during the holiday season.

  • She decided to visit the local retail merchant to purchase some unique handmade gifts.

  • Certainly every retail merchant understands that.

  • None of the cloths in Ukaegbu's shop is perfect, but in time he sells most of them to vendors in Aba's Ariaria and New Markets, who in turn sell them to retail merchants from all over the country.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

seller
vsretail merchant
257 1.0

A person or company that offers goods for money

restricts the sale to small quantities for personal consumption
vendor
vsretail merchant
257 2.0

A person or company that sells things, for example at a market

is specifically the small-quantity seller to the general public
retailer
vsretail merchant
205 2.4

A shop or company that sells goods to people for home use

is the same role described by the key concept
merchant
vsretail merchant
203 2.1

A person or company that buys and sells goods, often in shops

is narrower, meaning selling small quantities directly to consumers
shopkeeper
vsretail merchant
31 1.9

A person who owns or runs a small store and sells goods to customers

is the broader category of selling small quantities to the public
grocer
vsretail merchant
29 1.0

A person who runs a shop that sells food and small things for the home

is a general retail seller not limited to food sales only
purveyor
vsretail merchant
23 6.7

A person or company that supplies food to shops and restaurants

focuses on selling small quantities directly to end consumers
reseller
vsretail merchant
12 3.7

A person or business that buys goods to sell to others for profit

sells directly to consumers rather than buying to resell in trade
peddler
vsretail merchant
8 5.7

A person who travels to sell small goods in streets or markets

is the stationary retail role selling in a fixed place to customers
hawker
vsretail merchant
  • UK
4 7.4

A person who sells goods in the street or at markets

is the settled small-quantity seller working from a shop or store
discounter
vsretail merchant
4 3.3

A shop that sells everyday items at lower prices than usual

is the general small-quantity seller not defined by discounting
merchandiser
vsretail merchant
3 4.5

A person or company that buys and sells goods in shops

focuses on the whole business of selling small quantities to public
wine merchant
vsretail merchant
2 3.9

A person or business that buys and sells wine to customers

is the small-quantity public seller that can include such specialists
tradesman
vsretail merchant
  • UK
1 3.7

A person who runs a shop that sells goods or services

is the same retail role without the gender specification
marketeer
vsretail merchant
  • UK
1 4.2

A person who sells goods at a market stall

covers selling to the public in shops as well as market stalls
stockist
vsretail merchant
  • UK
1 6.1

A shop or company that has and sells goods of a particular brand

acts as the active seller to the public rather than only stocking goods
coster
vsretail merchant
  • Archaic
1 8.2

A person who sells fruit and vegetables from a street stall

is the broader retail category that also includes shop sales
jewelry dealer
vsretail merchant
  • US
1 3.2

A person or shop that buys and sells rings and necklaces

is the general retail seller that may include such specialists
rug merchant
vsretail merchant
1 5.5

A person or shop that sells rugs like Persian carpets

is the wider retail type that encompasses specialist sellers too
retailor
vsretail merchant
  • US
3.0

A person or business that sells things directly to customers

is the identical concept expressed by the key term
shopman
vsretail merchant
  • Archaic
4.2

A man who works in a shop and helps customers

is the business type that covers such shop-based selling
tradesperson
vsretail merchant
  • UK
3.5

A person who buys and sells goods in a shop or market

limits this to selling small quantities directly to consumers
merchanter
vsretail merchant
  • Archaic
8.1

A person or company that buys, sells, and moves goods

focuses only on selling small amounts to end consumers
market keeper
vsretail merchant
  • UK
4.8

A person who runs a market stall or shop and sells goods to customers

is the wider retail seller beyond just market stall settings
grain merchant
vsretail merchant
3.0

A person or business that buys and sells grains like wheat

focuses on selling small quantities directly to household consumers
salt merchant
vsretail merchant
4.9

A person who makes or sells salt as their main business

is the retail activity of selling small quantities to consumers

How Big

wholesaler
22 3.5
chain store
8 2.4
retail merchant
2.8
stall
38 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

retail + merchant

The meaning 'a person or company that sells goods to the public' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'retail' (selling to end consumers) with 'merchant' (a person or business engaged in commerce). This noun+noun composition follows a common compositional pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Retail merchant comes from the word retail, which comes from an old French word meaning 'to cut' or 'to sell in small pieces', because sellers would divide goods to sell little by little, and merchant simply means a seller. So a retail merchant is a seller who sells small amounts directly to ordinary people rather than selling large amounts for resale.