Jobber, in merchandising, can be synonymous with "wholesaler" or "distributor" or "broker" or "middleman." A jobber is a merchant — e.g., (i) a wholesaler or (ii) reseller or (iii) independent distributor operating on consignment — who takes goods in quantity from manufacturers or importers and sells or resells or distributes them to retail chains and syndicates, particularly supermarkets, department stores, drug chains, and the like. One objective is to distribute goods at lower costs through economies of scale, which, in sophisticated operations, typically uses complex transportation models. In competitive markets, the practice is an integral part of supply chain management — one that might incorporate, among other things, operations research in areas of logistics involving supply chain networking, and supply chain optimization.
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Usage and etymology
Use of the word "jobber" is sometimes dismissed as colloquial or obsolete; but, as of 2016, it is used in the industry sciences, trade press, popular media, and scholarly journals. The present-day meaning of jobber has been in existence since the introduction of the factory system, and earlier in cases with respect to importing goods. The word has a longstanding history in merchandising and can be found in print around the mid-19th century. and variations, such as "pig jobber," date back to the 18th century. Jobbing was the subject of legislation in England in 1670 when a special act was enacted to prevent fraud in the buying and selling of cattle at Smithfield Market, London.