Outpatient trading

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Ambulatory trader in Indonesia
Outpatient dealer in Germany around 1950

Outpatient trading describes a form of trade in which the seller travels directly to or near his customers.

A distinction must be made between:

  • Market trade : the seller travels from market to market to sell his goods. These are e.g. B. Weekly markets and farmers' markets .
  • Peddling : The seller goes from door to door with his goods in order to bring the goods directly “to the man” (or the woman). This trading method has a bad reputation because the consumer is not given the time to consider the purchase beforehand, and has been severely restricted since the 20th century by a system of licenses and legal provisions (including identification requirements; cooling-off period for larger amounts) . However, there are companies who distribute their goods almost exclusively in this way, e.g. B. Vorwerk (vacuum cleaner), Avon Products (cosmetics) or Tupperware (plastic containers).

Both trading methods are very old. Before the advent of the mass media and fast travel methods, market traders and peddlers often also had an important social function in that they could tell their customers news from distant regions or even abroad. It is noticeable that in the 19th century successful peddler families, such as the brothers C. and A. Brenninkmeyer ( C&A ) from Mettingen, founded large retail houses and thus switched to stationary trade . On the other hand, some families of the Yeniche , Sinti and Roma have remained loyal to the peddler and market trade up to the present day .

The outpatient traders are often members of the respective regional associations for market merchants and showmen.

This form of trade ( retail ) is also known as the travel trade in the official sense . The required permit for this, the travel trade card , is to be obtained from the dealer's municipal administration and to be carried with every sale.

In the last few years, a subtype of market trade has spread at flea markets : New goods are offered at low prices.

Another newer subspecies is sales by vending vehicles: They drive from place to place, especially in rural areas, and usually stop there at a certain time to offer their goods. Usually these are special foods such as bread or eggs , but there are also traders who carry all everyday goods with them. Since there are no longer any shops in many villages, this type of trade is mainly adopted by elderly people with restricted mobility who have no way of traveling to the next larger town and transporting their purchases.

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