Beginnings of Retail Trade

Early Trade

When man started to cultivate and harvest the land, he would occasionally find himself with a surplus of goods. Once the needs of his family and local community were met, he would attempt to trade his goods for different goods produced elsewhere.

Thus markets were formed. These early efforts to swap goods developed into more formal gatherings. When a producer who had a surplus could not find another producer with suitable products to swap, he may have allowed others to owe him goods. Thus early credit terms would have been developed. This would have led to symbolic representations of such debts in the form of valuable items (such as gemstones or beads), and eventually money.

Early Markets

Over time, producers would have seen value in deliberately over-producing in order to profit from selling these goods. Merchants would also have begun to appear. They would travel from village to village, purchasing these goods and selling them for a profit. Over time, both producers and merchants, would regularly take their goods to one selling place in the centre of the community. Thus, regular markets appeared.

The First Shops

Eventually, markets would become permanent fixtures i.e. shops. These shops along with the logistics required to get the goods to them were, the start of the Retail Trade.

Beginnings of Retail Trade | Chains | How Retail Developed | Self-Service Stores | Birth of Distance Retailing

History | Marketing | The Supply Chain | Types of Retail Outlet

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