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retail - the selling of goods to consumers; usually in small quantities and not for resale. marketing, merchandising, selling - the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money. wholesale - the selling of goods to merchants; usually in large quantities for resale to consumers.
Retail is usually classified by type of products as follows: 1  Food products â typically require cold storage facilities. 2  Hard goods or durable goods (hardline retailers) â automobiles, appliances, electronics, furniture, sporting goods, lumber, etc., and parts for them.t was first recorded as a noun with the meaning of a sale in small quantities in 1433 (from the Middle French retail, piece cut off, shred, scrap, paring). Like in French, the word retail in both Dutch and German also refers to the sale of small quantities of items.