Q.Specify the characteristics of fixed shop retailers.

Fixed shop retailers maintain a permanent establishment and do not move from place to place. Their main characteristics are:

• Greater resources and a relatively larger scale of operation than itinerant traders (though sizes range from very small to very large).
• They may deal in different products, including consumer durables and non-durables.
• They enjoy greater credibility with customers.
• They can offer more services — home delivery, guarantees, repairs, credit facilities, availability of spare parts, and so on.

Who they are. Fixed shop retailers are the most common form of retailing. As the name suggests, they maintain a permanent establishment to sell their merchandise and do not move from place to place in search of customers.

Their characteristics:

• Greater resources and larger scale: Compared with itinerant traders, fixed shop retailers usually have greater resources and operate on a relatively larger scale — though sizes vary widely, from a very small general store to a very large departmental store.
• Wider range of goods: They may deal in different kinds of products, including consumer durables (such as electronics and furniture) as well as non-durables (such as groceries and toiletries).
• Greater credibility: Because they have a fixed, permanent location, customers trust them more. A known, settled shop carries far more credibility than a moving trader.
• More services offered: Their permanent set-up lets them provide many services — home delivery, guarantees, after-sales repairs, credit facilities, and availability of spare parts, among others.

Two sub-types by size of operation: small shopkeepers (general stores, speciality shops, street stall holders, second-hand goods shops, single line stores) and large retailers (departmental stores, chain stores, mail order houses, consumer cooperative stores, supermarkets, vending machines).