Catalog merchant

The order is brought to the sales counter, where a clerk retrieves the items from the warehouse area to a payment and checkout station.

By operating as an in-store catalog sales center, it could be exempt from the "Resale price maintenance" policy of the manufacturers, which can force conventional retailers to charge a minimum sales price to prevent price-cutting competition; it also reduces the risk of merchandise theft, known in the industry as shrinkage.

Competitors in the Montreal area included Cardinal Distributors (launched by Steinberg but sold to Consumers Distributing in 1979) and Unique (folded in the 1970s).

In the United Kingdom, the sole national general goods catalogue merchant left in the high street market is Argos.

Littlewoods, Kays and existing Grattan built their businesses around offering credit, however in the 21st century most High Street shops now offer store cards (a means of credit specific to the retailer) meaning these catalogues have lost some of their market niche.

Catalog merchants in the United States have declined since 1980, in favor of chain discounters, big box stores, and internet shopping.

As big box stores and internet shopping became increasingly popular in the 1990s, the decline of the catalog merchant business accelerated.