Collectible Foreign Longarms Catalog. Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator 20162017. June 28, 2017. The Honourable Ralph Goodale Minister of Public Safety House of Commons. Retail Wikipedia. A French itinerant medicine vendor on stage selling his wares. Goods are displayed in a rustic manner in Marrakechs souk marketRetail markets and shops have a very ancient history, dating back to antiquity. Over the centuries, retail shops were transformed from little more than rude booths to the sophisticated shopping malls that we know today. Smart Home Automation System Pdf on this page. Retailing involves the process of selling consumer goods or services to customers through multiple channels of distribution to earn a profit. Retailers satisfy demand identified through a supply chain. Some of the earliest retailers were itinerant peddlers. The term retailer is typically applied where a service provider fills the small orders of a large number of individuals, who are end users, rather than large orders of a small number of wholesale, corporate or government clientele. Shopping generally refers to the act of buying products. Get the latest news and analysis in the stock market today, including national and world stock market news, business news, financial news and more. Expert Choice 11.5 Serial Number' title='Expert Choice 11.5 Serial Number' />Sometimes this is done to obtain final goods, including necessities such as food and clothing sometimes it takes place as a recreational activity. Recreational shopping often involves window shopping just looking, not buying and browsing it does not always result in a purchase. Modern retailers typically make a variety of strategic level decisions including the type of store, the market to be served, the optimal product assortment, customer service, supporting services and the stores overall market positioning. Once the strategic retail plan is in place, retailers devise the retail mix which includes product, price, place, promotion, personnel and presentation. In the digital age, an increasing number of retailers are seeking to reach broader markets by selling through multiple channels, including both bricks and mortar and online retailing. Digital technologies are also changing the way that consumers pay for goods and services. Retailing support services may also include the provision of credit, delivery services, advisory services, stylist services and a range of other supporting services. Retail shops occur in a diverse range of types and in many different contexts  from strip shopping centres in residential streets through to large, indoor shopping malls. Shopping streets may restrict traffic to pedestrians only. Sometimes a shopping street has a partial or full roof to create a more comfortable shopping environment protecting customers from various types of weather conditions such as extreme temperatures, winds or precipitation. Forms of non shop retailing include online retailing a type of electronic commerce used for business to consumer B2. C transactions and mail order. EtymologyeditRetail comes from the Old French word tailler, which means to cut off, clip, pare, divide in terms of tailoring 1. It was first recorded as a noun with the meaning of a sale in small quantities in 1. Middle French retail, piece cut off, shred, scrap, paring. As in the French, the word, retail, in both Dutch and German, also refers to the sale of small quantities of items. HistoryeditSee also History of merchants History of the market place  History of marketing. Phoenician merchants traded across the entire Mediterranean region. Retailing in antiquityeditRetail markets have existed since ancient times. Archaeological evidence for trade, probably involving barter systems, dates back more than 1. As civilizations grew, barter was replaced with retail trade involving coinage. Selling and buying is thought to have emerged in Asia Minor modern Turkey in around the 7th millennium BCE. Gharipour points to evidence of primitive shops and trade centres in Sialk Hills in Kashan 6,0. BCE, Catalk Huyuk in modern day Turkey 7,5. BCE, Jericho 2,6. BCE and Susa 4,0. BCE. 3 Open air, public markets were known in ancient Babylonia, Assyria, Phoenicia and Egypt. These markets typically occupied a place in the towns centre. Surrounding the market, skilled artisans, such as metal workers and leather workers, occupied permanent premises in alleys that led to the open market place. These artisans may have sold wares directly from their premises, but also prepared goods for sale on market days. In ancient Greece markets operated within the agora, an open space where, on market days, goods were displayed on mats or temporary stalls. In ancient Rome, trade took place in the forum. Rome had two forums the Forum Romanum and Trajans Forum. The latter was a vast expanse, comprising multiple buildings with shops on four levels. The Roman forum was arguably the earliest example of a permanent retail shop front. In antiquity, exchange involved direct selling via merchants or peddlers and bartering systems were commonplace. The Phoenicians, noted for their seafaring skills, plied their ships across the Mediterranean, becoming a major trading power by the 9th century BCE. The Phoenicians imported and exported wood, textiles, glass and produce such as wine, oil, dried fruit and nuts. Their trading skills necessitated a network of colonies along the Mediterranean coast, stretching from modern day Crete through to Tangiers and onto Sardinia7 The Phoenicians not only traded in tangible goods, but were also instrumental in transporting culture. The Phoenicians extensive trade networks necessitated considerable book keeping and correspondence. In around 1. 50. 0 BCE, the Phoenicians developed a consonantal alphabet which was much easier to learn that the complex scripts used in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Phoenician traders and merchants were largely responsible for spreading their alphabet around the region. Phoenician inscriptions have been found in archaeological sites at a number of former Phoenician cities and colonies around the Mediterranean, such as Byblos in present day Lebanon and Carthage in North Africa. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul interior. Established in 1. In the Graeco Roman world, the market primarily served the local peasantry. Local producers, who were generally poor, would sell small surpluses from their individual farming activities, purchase minor farm equipment and also buy a few luxuries for their homes. Major producers such as the great estates were sufficiently attractive for merchants to call directly at their farm gates, obviating the producers need to attend local markets. The very wealthy landowners managed their own distribution, which may have involved exporting and importing. The nature of export markets in antiquity is well documented in ancient sources and archaeological case studies. The Romans preferred to purchase goods from specific places oysters from Londinium, cinnamon from a specific mountain in Arabia, and these place based preferences stimulated trade throughout Europe and the middle East. Markets were also important centres of social life. The rise of retailing and marketing in England and Europe has been extensively studied, but less is known about developments elsewhere. Nevertheless, recent research suggests that China exhibited a rich history of early retail systems. From as early as 2. BCE, Chinese packaging and branding was used to signal family, place names and product quality, and the use of government imposed product branding was used between 6. CE. 1. 5 Eckhart and Bengtsson have argued that during the Song Dynasty 9. Chinese society developed a consumerist culture, where a high level of consumption was attainable for a wide variety of ordinary consumers rather than just the elite.