I do not agree. In India, it is the most visible segment of the urban informal economy. It is indisputable that there are thousands and in some cases, tens or hundreds of thousands of street vendors in most big cities of the developing world. Yet it is exceedingly difficult to produce accurate estimates of the number of street traders in any given city. In some countries, official statistics on street vendors are available, though they underestimate the total number of people engaged in street vending. Without providing them an alternative employment, we cannot think of making it illegal. Yes, for security reasons, they may be asked to get an ID with them or they may be issued a pass by local authorities.

The following are the main terms used in the internal trade.
1. Cash on delivery (COD): It refers to a type of transaction in which payment for goods or services is made at the time of delivery. If the buyer is unable to make payment when the goods or services are delivered, then it will be returned to the seller.
2. Free on Board or Free on Rail (FOB or FOR): It refers to a contract between the seller and the buyer in which all the expenses up to the point of delivery to a carrier (it may be a ship, rail, lorry, etc.) are to be borne by seller.
3. Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF): It is the price of goods which includes not only the cost of goods but also the insurance and freight charges payable on goods.
4. E and OE (Errors and Omissions Expected): It refers to that term which is used in trade documents to say that mistakes and things that have been forgotten should be taken into account. This term is used in an attempt to reduce legal liability for incorrect or incomplete information supplied in a document such as price list, invoice, cash memo, quotation etc.

They are coin-operated machines which are used in selling several products such as milk, soft drinks, chocolates, platform tickets etc in many countries. The latest area in which this concept is getting popular is the case of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in the banking service. They made it possible to withdraw money at any time without visiting any branch of a bank. They can be useful for selling pre-packed brands of low priced product which have high turnover and which are uniform in size and weight.
However, the installation cost and expenditure on regular maintenance and repair of these machines are quite high. Moreover, the consumers can neither see the product before buying nor can return the unwanted goods.

Departmental Stores: "A departmental store is that type of retail institution which handles a wide variety of merchandise under one roof with the merchandise grouped into well defined departments which are centrally controlled."
"A departmental store is a large retail establishment having in the same building a number of departments each of which confines its activities to one particular branch of trade and forms a complete unit in itself."
"A departmental store carries several product lines, typically clothing, home furnishings, and household goods, where each line is operated as a separate department managed by specialist buyers or merchandisers."
Features of a departmental store are given below:
1. Central location.
2. Provision of services.
3. Corporate status.
4. Elimination of middlemen.
5. Centralised purchasing.
6. Large variety of goods.

Buying goods in large quantities from the manufacturer and selling them in small quantities to the retailer to cater the needs of the consumer is termed as wholesale trade. The person who undertakes such a trade is known as wholesaler. The wholesaler acts as an intermediary between the producer and the retailer. He is known as the first intermediary in the channel of distribution. The wholesaler distributes business works amongst the members of the staff in such a way that the whole enterprise may work as a complete unit. The distribution of work should be done in such a manner as to yield maximum efficiency at minimum troubles.
To Manufacturers
1. The wholesaler provides valuable information to the producers regarding the needs and the requirements of the consumer.
2. As the wholesaler takes the responsibility of collecting order from retailers, he relieves the producers from this task and thereby encourage producers to concentrate on production.
3. The wholesaler provides finance to the producers at the time of need.
4. The wholesaler helps the producers in determining the quality and quantity of goods to be produced as he is in direct contact with the retailers.
5. The producers are helped to maintain steady prices for the product because wholesaler buys when prices are low and sell when prices are high.
General Service
1. There are certain goods which are to be assembled or graded before they pass to the retailer or the consumer. For these goods, the presence of wholesaler is a must.
2. Wholesaler helps in standardisation and grading of the products.
3. For marketing of foodgrains, the services of the wholesalers cannot be dispensed with because they help in packing and re-packing of goods.

Hawkers: A hawker moves about in residential localities. He carries his goods in a handcart or bicycle. He deals in low-priced goods of daily use. For example, combs, toys, soaps, mirrors, bangles, vegetables, fruits, ice-cream, etc.
Peddlers: A peddler also moves from house to house and sells articles of daily use. But he carries his wares on his head or on the back of a mule.
Therefore, the basic difference between the two is that hawker has a cycle or cart to carry his goods while peddler carries his goods on heads. So we can say that financially, peddler is weaker than hawker.

Role and functions of Chambers of Commerce are given below:
(i) Businessmen get valuable information free of cost.
(ii) They can expand their business activities with the help of suggestions and advice from Chambers of Commerce.
(iii) Chambers of Commerce creates markets for the products of their members by organising fairs and exhibitions.
(iv) Businessmen get a common forum at which they can discuss problems and exchange views on matters of common interest.
(v) Differences and disputes among businessmen can be solved amicably and economically with the help of Chambers of Commerce.
(vi) Members take advantage of educational and training facilities offered by Chambers of Commerce.
(vii) Chambers of Commerce undertakes research on behalf of their members.
(viii) Chambers of Commerce fosters a sense of cooperation among businessmen.

Major differences between wholesalers and retailers are as follows:

A retailer is a business enterprise that is engaged in the sale of goods and services directly to the ultimate consumers. It has following features
1.A retailer is the intermediary between wholesaler and the ultimate consumer. He is the last link in the chain of distribution.
2. A retailer buys goods from wholesalers and sells them in small quantities to ultimate consumers.
3. He maintains personal contact with his customers.
4. Generally, a retailer deals in a wide variety of goods.
5. He performs various marketing functions and displays goods to attract customers.
6. A retailer usually buys goods on credit and sells on cash basis.
7. Retail shops are generally situated near to customers.

Retailers offer a variety of services to wholesalers and customers. Some of these services are listed below
(a) They provide information to customers: Retailers provide information to customers about the new products available in the market, their features, prices, etc. This information helps customers decide which product to buy.
(b) They provide information to wholesalers: Retailers provide information to wholesalers, such as the tastes and preferences of customers, prevailing market conditions and level of competition in the market. Wholesalers pass on this information to manufacturers
(c)They store a wide variety of goods: Retailers generally store a wide variety of goods based on consumer tastes and preferences and thus allow customers to choose from the available range of products.
(d) They facilitate distribution of goods: Retailers facilitate the distribution of goods to consumers for final consumption.
(e)They help in promotion of goods: Since retailers are in direct touch with customers, they can promote the sale of goods through personal interaction. Thus, retailers help wholesalers and manufactures in promoting the sale of goods.

Wholesalers offer a wide variety of services to manufacturers. The following are examples of such services:
(a) They facilitate large-scale production: Wholesalers purchase goods in bulk from manufacturers and sell them to retailers in small quantities for further resale. This bulk purchase made by wholesalers enables manufacturers to undertake production on a large scale without worrying about storage facilities. Thus, wholesalers facilitate large-scale production.
(b) They provide storage facilities: When wholesalers purchase goods in bulk quantities from manufacturers, they store these goods in their godowns or warehouses, reducing manufacturers' burden of finding proper storage.
(c)They collect market information: Wholesalers provide different kinds of information to manufacturers, such as information about the tastes and preferences of customers, prevailing market conditions, level of competition in the market and type of goods demanded by consumers. This, in turn, helps manufacturers to produce goods according to the market needs.

Single-line stores are small shops that deal in only one product. For example, garments or shoes. However, single-line stores offer a wide variety of the product. For instance, a single-line store that deals in garments will have a wide variety of clothes in all sizes for men, women and children.
On the other hand, specialty stores deal only in a particular type of product from a selected product line. For example, men's clothing. Such stores generally sell all the brands of the product in which they specialise. For instance, if a store specialises in men's clothing, then it will have all the brands of men's garments.
On the basis of these features, we can identify the different types of stores in a locality-whether they are single-line stores or specialty stores.
Single line stores are more frequently found in local retail markets while specialty stores are found in wholesale markets.

Manufacturers, they provide information about:
(a) The tastes and preferences of customers
(b) Conditions prevailing in the market
(c) Level of competition in the market and
(d) Types of goods and features demanded by consumers.
This information helps manufacturers to cater to the changing needs of consumers.

As the name suggests, fixed-shop retailers are retailers who have permanent establishments. It means that they sell goods and services from fixed shops and do not move from place to place to serve customers. For example, retailers functioning from fixed establishments in the local grocery market.
The following are some of the characteristics of fixed-shop retailers:
(a) Fixed-shop retailers operate on a large scale and have huge resources at their disposal compared with itinerant traders. However, among fixed-shop retailers, there are retailers who operate on a small scale or a large scale.
(b) They generally deal in more than one product that is, their range of goods varies from consumer durable goods to non-durable goods.
(c) Fixed-shop retailers provide services such as free home delivery and supply of goods on credit to their customers.
(d) They have a greater credibility in the eyes of consumers as they can be traced if the product is found to be defective or there is any other problem.