Producers of Services. Service producers are more geographically dispersed than are manufacturers. In the U.S. this segment of the economy is large and growing fast. Retailers and Wholesalers. These organizations see themselves as purchasing agents for their target customers.
Retailers buy what they think they can profitably sell to final consumers.
Wholesalers buy what they think their retailer customers will want. This assigns the buying decision to a committee that reviews reports submitted by the buyer. The seller may never meet the committee. Retailers and wholesalers seldom guess what is selling well. Computers track inventory, sales, and prices, even when an item is likely to sell well.