1992 CENSUS OF WHOLESALE TRADE

Type-of-Operation Classifications

=>GENERAL

In addition to being classified by kind of business, each wholesale
establishment was classified for the census by type of operation according
to the ownership of the business, ownership of the goods sold, or character
of the principal transactions.  Establishments in wholesale trade are
grouped into the following three major types of operation and related
subgroups:

=>MERCHANT WHOLESALERS

->ABOUT MERCHANT WHOLESALERS

Establishments primarily engaged in buying and selling merchandise on their
own account.  Included here are such types of establishments as wholesale
merchants or jobbers, industrial distributors, voluntary group wholesalers,
importers, exporters, cash and carry wholesalers, retailer cooperative
warehouses, terminal and country grain elevators, farm products assemblers,
wholesale cooperative associations, and petroleum bulk plants and terminals
operated by nonrefining companies.

->WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS AND JOBBERS

Establishments primarily engaged in buying and selling merchandise in the
domestic market not manufactured by the parent company.

->IMPORTERS

Establishments buying and selling goods at wholesale on their own account,
whose principal source of purchases was foreign.

->EXPORTERS

Establishments primarily engaged in purchasing goods in the United States
and selling them to foreign customers.

->TERMINAL GRAIN ELEVATORS

Grain elevators primarily engaged in buying and selling grain received from
county grain elevators and grain marketing establishments.  They have
sizable space for grain storage, and products are received primarily by rail
or barge rather than by truck.

->COUNTRY GRAIN ELEVATORS

Grain elevators, cooperative or other, buying and receiving grain directly
from farmers by truck and selling at wholesale.

->ASSEMBLERS OF FARM PRODUCTS, EXCEPT COUNTRY GRAIN ELEVATORS

Establishments primarily engaged in purchasing directly from farmers and
assembling and marketing farm products at wholesale.

=>MANUFACTURERS' SALES BRANCHES AND OFFICES

->ABOUT MANUFACTURERS' SALES BRANCHES AND OFFICES

Establishments maintained by manufacturing, refining, and mining companies
apart from their plants or mines for marketing their products at wholesale. 
Branch stores selling to household consumers and individual users are
classified in retail trade.  Sales branches and offices located at plants
and administrative offices are included when separate records are available.

->MANUFACTURERS' SALES BRANCHES

A branch with a stock of merchandise for sale.  Included are refiner-
marketers owned and operated by petroleum refining companies primarily for
marketing their products.

->MANUFACTURERS' SALES OFFICES

An office without a stock of merchandise for sale.

=>AGENTS, BROKERS, AND COMMISSION MERCHANTS

->ABOUT AGENTS, BROKERS, AND COMMISSION MERCHANTS

Establishments whose operators are in business for themselves and are
primarily engaged in selling or buying goods for others.  Included here are
such types of operations as auction companies, import agents, export agents,
selling agents, merchandise brokers, and commission merchants.  "Sales" as
shown in census publications for agents, brokers, and commission merchants
represent the gross sales (or purchase) value of the goods in the
transactions negotiated.

->AUCTION COMPANIES

Wholesale establishments primarily engaged in selling merchandise on an
agency basis by auction.

->BROKERS (REPRESENTING BUYERS OR SELLERS)

Wholesale establishments primarily engaged in selling or buying merchandise
in the domestic market on a brokerage basis but not receiving the goods on
consignment.

->COMMISSION MERCHANTS

Wholesale establishments operating in the domestic market receiving goods
for sale on consignment.

->IMPORT AGENTS

Merchandise agents and brokers in the domestic market buying merchandise
from or selling merchandise for foreign firms.

->EXPORT AGENTS

Merchandise agents and brokers in the domestic market selling to or buying
for foreign customers.

->MANUFACTURERS' AGENTS

Wholesale establishments in the domestic market selling for a limited number
of manufacturers on a continuing agency basis.
