Wholesale Trade

Significant Points
  • Most workplaces are small, employing fewer than 20 workers.
  • About 7 in 10 work in office and administrative support, sales, or transportation and material-moving occupations.
  • While some jobs require a college degree, a high school education is sufficient for many jobs.
  • Consolidation and new technology should slow employment growth in some occupations, but many new jobs will be created in other occupations.


Nature of the Industry [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top

When consumers purchase goods, they usually buy them from a retail establishment, such as a supermarket, department store, gas station, or Internet site. When businesses, government agencies, or institutions, such as universities or hospitals, need to purchase goods, they normally buy them from wholesale trade establishments. Retail establishments purchase goods for resale to consumers, but other establishments purchase equipment, motor vehicles, office supplies, or any other items for their own use.

Goods and services. The size and scope of firms in the wholesale trade industry vary greatly. Wholesale trade firms sell any and every type of good. Customers of wholesale trade firms buy goods for use in making other products, as in the case of a bicycle manufacturer that purchases steel tubing, wire cables, and paint. Customers also may purchase items for use in the course of daily operations, as when a corporation buys office furniture, paper clips, or computers. Other customers purchase a wide variety of goods for resale to the public, as does a department store that purchases socks, flatware, or televisions. Wholesalers may offer only a few items for sale, perhaps all made by one manufacturer, or only a narrow range of goods, such as very specialized machine tools. Others may offer thousands of items produced by hundreds of different manufacturers, such as all the supplies necessary to open a new store, including shelving, light fixtures, wallpaper, floor coverings, signs, cash registers, accounting ledgers, and perhaps even some merchandise for resale.

Wholesale trade firms are essential to the economy. They simplify flows of products, payments, and information by acting as intermediaries between the manufacturer and the final customer. They may store goods that neither manufacturers nor retailers can store until consumers require them. In so doing, they fill several roles in the economy. They provide businesses, institutions, and governments a convenient nearby source of goods made by many different manufacturers that allows them to devote minimal time and resources to transactions. For manufacturers, wholesalers provide a national network of a manageable number of distributors of their goods that allow their products to reach a large number of users. In addition, wholesalers help manufacturers by taking on some marketing, new customer sales contact, order processing, customer service, and technical support work manufacturers otherwise would have to perform.

Besides selling and moving goods to their customers, some wholesalers may provide them other services. These include the financing of purchases, customer service and technical support, product marketing services such as advertising and promotion, technical or logistical advice, and installation and repair services. After customers buy equipment, such as cash registers, copiers, computer workstations, or various types of industrial machinery, they may need assistance to integrate the products into the customer’s workplace. Wholesale trade firms often employ workers to visit customers, install or repair equipment, train users, troubleshoot problems, or provide expertise on how to use the equipment most efficiently.

Industry organization. There are two main types of wholesalers: Merchant wholesalers and wholesale electronic markets, agents, and brokers. Merchant wholesalers generally take title to the goods that they sell; in other words, they buy and sell goods on their own account. The merchant wholesale segment also includes the individual sales offices and sales branches (but not retail stores) of manufacturing and mining enterprises that are specifically set up to perform the sales and marketing of their products.

Merchant wholesalers deal in either durable or non-durable goods. Durable goods are new or used items that generally have a normal life expectancy of 3 years or more. Establishments in this part of wholesale trade are engaged in wholesaling goods, such as motor vehicles, furniture, construction materials, machinery and equipment (including household appliances), metals and minerals (except petroleum), sporting goods, toys and hobby goods, recyclable materials, and parts. Nondurable goods are items that generally have a normal life expectancy of less than 3 years. Establishments in this part of wholesale trade are engaged in wholesaling goods, such as paper and paper products, chemicals and chemical products, drugs, textiles and textile products, apparel, footwear, groceries, farm products, petroleum and petroleum products, alcoholic beverages, books, magazines, newspapers, flowers and nursery stock, and tobacco products.

Firms in the wholesale electronic markets, and agents, and brokers segment arrange for the sale of goods owned by others, generally on a fee or commission basis. They act on behalf of the buyers and sellers of goods, but generally do not take ownership of the goods. This sector includes agents and brokers as well as business-to-business electronic markets that use electronic means, such as the Internet or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), to facilitate wholesale trade.

Only firms that sell their wares to businesses, institutions, and governments are considered part of wholesale trade. As a marketing ploy, many retailers that sell mostly to the general public present themselves as wholesalers. For example, “wholesale” price clubs, factory outlets, and other organizations are retail establishments, even though they sell their goods to the public at “wholesale” prices.

Recent developments. Recent consolidation of smaller wholesale distributors has led to more companies serving their customers regionally, nationally, and internationally. This has resulted in companies offering more lines of related products from a larger variety of manufacturers.

Additionally, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is becoming used more frequently by larger wholesale distributors with warehouses. RFID tags coupled with a satellite and receiver system allow wholesalers to keep track of the goods they have in stock and through transit to ensure delivery. Although this technology is highly promising, many smaller companies do not use it because it has not yet become cost effective in those situations.

Many larger independent wholesale distribution companies have also started “private-labeling” their goods—contracting with the manufacturer to put their name on the label instead of the manufacturers.



Working Conditions [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top

Hours. Most workers in wholesale trade worked at least 40 hours a week in 2006, and about 21 percent worked 50 or more hours a week. Many put in long shifts, particularly during peak times. Other workers, such as produce wholesalers, work unusual hours. Produce wholesalers must be on the job before dawn to receive shipments of vegetables and fruits, and they must be ready to begin delivering goods to local grocers in the early morning.

Work environment. Working conditions and physical demands of wholesale trade jobs vary greatly. Moving stock and heavy equipment can be strenuous, but freight, stock, and material movers may make use of forklifts in large warehouses. Workers in some automated warehouses use computer-controlled storage and retrieval systems that further reduce labor requirements. Employees in refrigerated meat warehouses work in a cold environment and those in chemical warehouses often wear protective clothing to avoid harm from toxic chemicals. Outside sales workers are away from the office for much of the workday and may spend a considerable amount of time traveling. On the other hand, most management, administrative support, and marketing staff work in offices.

Overall, work in wholesale trade is relatively safe. In 2006 there were 4.1 work-related injuries or illnesses per 100 full-time workers, comparable with the rate of 4.4 per 100 for the entire private sector. Not all parts of wholesale trade are equally safe, however. Occupational injury and illness rates were considerably higher than the national average for wholesale trade workers who dealt with lumber and construction materials (6.3 per 100 workers); groceries (7.0 per 100 workers); and beer, wine, and distilled beverages (8.4 per 100 workers).



Employment [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top

Wholesale trade had about 5.9 million wage and salary jobs in 2006. About 90 percent of the establishments in the industry are small, employing fewer than 20 workers, and they have about 35 percent of the industry’s jobs (chart 1). Although some large firms employ many workers, wholesale trade is characterized by a large number of relatively small establishments when compared with other industries. Wholesale trade jobs are spread throughout the country. Few workers in wholesale trade are members of unions.

Almost 90 percent of establishments in wholesale trade employ fewer than 20 workers.



Occupations in the Industry [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top

Many occupations are involved in wholesale trade, but not all are represented in every type of wholesale trade firm. Merchant wholesalers are by far the largest segment of the industry. The activities of these wholesale trade firms commonly center on storing, selling, and transporting goods. As a result, the three largest occupational groups in the industry are office and administrative support workers, many of whom work in inventory management; sales and related workers; and workers in transportation and material moving occupations, most of whom are truck drivers and material movers. In 2006, 71 percent of wholesale trade workers were concentrated in these three groups (table 1).

Office and administrative support occupations. Many secretaries and administrative assistants; bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks; and general office clerks are employed in wholesale trade, as in most industries. Most of the other administrative support workers are needed to control inventory. Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks check the contents of all shipments, verifying condition, quantity, and sometimes shipping costs. They may use computer terminals or barcode scanners and, in small firms, may pack and unpack goods. Order clerks handle order requests from customers, or from the firm’s regional branch offices in the case of a large, decentralized wholesaler. These workers take and process orders, and route them to the warehouse for packing and shipment. Often, they must be able to answer customer inquiries about products and monitor inventory levels or record sales for the accounting department. Stock clerks and order fillers code or price goods and store them in the appropriate warehouse sections. When they receive a customer order, they retrieve from the warehouse the appropriate type and quantity of goods. In some cases, they also may perform tasks similar to those performed by shipping and receiving clerks.

Sales and related occupations. Generally, workers in sales and related occupations try to interest customers in purchasing a wholesale firm’s goods and assist them in buying the goods. There are three primary types of sales people in wholesale firms: Inside sales workers, outside sales workers, and sales worker supervisors.

Sales representatives may work in either inside sales or outside sales. Inside sales workers generally work in sales offices taking sales orders from customers. They also increasingly perform duties such as problem solving, solicitation of new and existing customers, and handling complaints. Outside sales workers are the more highly skilled workers and one of the largest occupations in the wholesale trade industry. They travel to places of business—whether manufacturers, retailers, or institutions—to maintain contact with current customers or to attract new ones. They make presentations to buyers and management or may demonstrate items to production supervisors. Sales engineers have similar job functions as sales representatives, except that these workers tend to specialize in selling technologically advanced products. Because of the complex nature of these products, sales engineers often need a great deal of highly technical knowledge, usually obtained through postsecondary training. As more customers gather information and complete orders through the Internet, outside sales workers devote more time to developing prospective clients and offering services to existing clients such as installation, maintenance, and advising on the most efficient use of purchases. Sales representatives and sales engineers also may be known as manufacturers’ representatives or agents in some wholesale trade firms.

Sales worker supervisors monitor and coordinate the work of the sales staff and often do outside sales work themselves. Counter clerks wait on customers who come to the firm to make a purchase.

Transportation and material moving occupations. Transportation and material-moving workers move goods around the warehouse, pack and load goods for shipment, and transport goods to buyers. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers manually move goods to or from storage and help to load delivery trucks. Hand packers and packagers also prepare items for shipment. Industrial truck and tractor operators use forklifts and tractors with trailers to transport goods within the warehouse, to outdoor storage facilities, or to trucks for loading. Truck drivers transport goods between the wholesaler and the purchaser or between distant warehouses. Driver/sales workers deliver goods to customers, unload goods, set up retail displays, and take orders for future deliveries. They are responsible for maintaining customer confidence and keeping clients well-stocked. Sometimes these workers visit prospective clients, in hopes of generating new business.

Management, business, and financial operations occupations. Management and business and financial operations workers direct the operations of wholesale trade firms. General and operations managers and chief executives supervise workers and ensure that operations meet standards and goals set by top management. Managers with ownership interest in smaller firms often also have some sales responsibilities. First-line supervisors oversee warehouse workers—such as clerks, material movers, and truck drivers—and see that standards of efficiency are maintained.

In order to provide manufactured goods to businesses, governments, or institutional customers, merchant wholesalers employ large numbers of wholesale buyers and purchasing managers. Wholesale buyers purchase goods from manufacturers for resale, based on price and what they think customers want. Purchasing managers coordinate the activities of buyers and determine when to purchase what types and quantities of goods.

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations. Many wholesalers do not just sell goods to other businesses; they may also install and service these goods. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers set up, service, and repair these goods. Others maintain vehicles and other equipment.

Table 1. Employment of wage and salary workers in wholesale trade by occupation, 2006 and projected change, 2006-2016.
(Employment in thousands)
Occupation Employment, 2006 Percent
change,
2006-16
Number Percent

All occupations

5,898 100.0 7.3
 

Management, business, and financial occupations

553 9.4 7.7

Top executives

155 2.6 -0.7

Sales managers

62 1.1 11.5

Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products

57 1.0 0.2

Accountants and auditors

59 1.0 10.5
 

Professional and related occupations

323 5.5 17.0

Computer specialists

157 2.7 19.7

Engineers

40 0.7 17.7

Designers

39 0.7 11.5
 

Sales and related occupations

1,551 26.3 10.2

First-line supervisors/managers of non-retail sales workers

100 1.7 6.2

Parts salespersons

63 1.1 -1.8

Retail salespersons

68 1.1 8.4

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

229 3.9 14.4

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

922 15.6 10.9
 

Office and administrative support occupations

1,398 23.7 4.0

First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers

73 1.2 3.4

Billing and posting clerks and machine operators

42 0.7 -1.0

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

151 2.6 9.3

Customer service representatives

183 3.1 23.0

Order clerks

80 1.4 -27.8

Receptionists and information clerks

39 0.7 10.1

Production, planning, and expediting clerks

28 0.5 10.8

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks

171 2.9 7.0

Stock clerks and order fillers

191 3.2 -6.9

Secretaries and administrative assistants

143 2.4 3.9

Office clerks, general

174 3.0 8.5
 

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

390 6.6 12.7

Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers

54 0.9 13.1

Automotive technicians and repairers

19 0.3 12.2

Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

40 0.7 9.7

Farm equipment mechanics

23 0.4 4.9

Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

36 0.6 26.5

Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers

87 1.5 12.2
 

Production occupations

329 5.6 8.7

Team assemblers

80 1.4 12.1
 

Transportation and material moving occupations

1,236 21.0 2.2

Supervisors, transportation and material moving workers

70 1.2 9.5

Driver/sales workers

111 1.9 -1.4

Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

208 3.5 5.9

Truck drivers, light or delivery services

197 3.3 10.3

Industrial truck and tractor operators

106 1.8 -0.4

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

413 7.0 -0.8

Packers and packagers, hand

75 1.3 -11.2
 

Note: Columns may not add to totals due to omission of occupations with small employment



Training and Advancement [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top

Although many jobs in wholesale trade require only a high school diploma, employers increasingly prefer at least some postsecondary education for their sales team and management positions. All entry-level workers usually receive on-the-job training—for example, in the operation of inventory management databases, online purchasing systems, or electronic data interchange systems. Workers must keep abreast of new selling techniques, management methodologies, and information systems because the industry is constantly being changed by technological advances and market forces. In addition, technological advances are affecting the skill requirements for occupations across the entire industry—from warehouse workers to truck drivers to managers. As a result, numerous firms devote significant resources to worker training.

Advancement opportunities may depend on the occupation. As the wholesale trade industry continues to evolve in the coming years, advancement opportunities will be more limited. Increasing use of the Internet and other electronic means of communication, as well as changing sales techniques place increased demands on managers, making it more difficult to promote less educated workers from within the firm. However, consolidation among wholesale trade firms has resulted in larger companies with more advancement opportunities for those with the appropriate skills.

Office and administrative support occupations. Many office and administrative positions currently do not require education beyond a high school degree. However, any additional education or previous experience is considered an asset by many employers. Advancement opportunities for these occupations may be more limited. Workers may eventually become an office or administrative supervisor or perform different tasks within the office. Some workers may move into an inside sales or customer service position after spending some time with the company.

Sales and related occupations. Many sales and related workers enter the industry with some form of postsecondary training, although some have only a high school diploma. Employers prefer candidates with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, industrial distribution, or a related field. Additionally, many employers seek applicants with prior sales experience. Depending on the type of product being sold or distributed, some technical expertise may also be an asset.

There are a growing number of industrial distribution programs at community colleges and universities, providing students with the business and technical training that employers find desirable. All sales workers should expect to periodically take classes and seminars to learn new skills as the industry adapts to new technology and business practices.

Some sales personnel may advance inside the company, through promotion to supervisor or to outside sales. Sales representatives may also decide to advance by starting their own sales company, commonly called a manufacturers’ representative company. The owners of these companies, along with their sales personnel may obtain certifications such as the Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representative certification (CPMR) or the Certified Sales Professional (CSP) certification.

Transportation and material moving occupations. Workers involved in transportation or material moving do not necessarily need education beyond a high school diploma. For some occupations, such as truck drivers and driver/sales workers, having a driver’s license or a State Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) may be essential. Drivers of medium and heavy trucks need a CDL.

Those starting in warehouses may also have some room for advancement. For example, they may be trained for jobs as industrial truck and tractor operators. Others become familiar with the products and procedures of the firm while working in the warehouse or stock room and may be promoted to counter sales or even to inside sales positions. Some may be trained to install, service, and repair the products sold by the firm. Eventually, some workers may advance to outside sales positions or possibly to managerial positions, though this is less frequent than in the past.

Management, business, and financial operations occupations. Due to technological advances and changing job responsibilities, wholesale employers are increasingly hiring candidates with some postsecondary education for many management, business and financial operations occupations. For upper-level and senior management positions, many employers look for candidates with a bachelor’s degree or higher, along with some previous managerial experience.

Depending on what level an employee enters a company, there are various advancement opportunities. For example, first-line supervisors may move up to senior level management or receive more responsibilities. Currently, several large firms in the industry have formal management training programs that train college graduates for management positions, and the number of these programs will probably grow.

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations. Although there are no formal education requirements for these occupations, firms usually hire workers with maintenance and repair experience or mechanically inclined individuals who can be trained on the job.

Like transportation and material moving workers, installation, maintenance, and repair occupations may have some room for advancement. This may include promotion to a sales position or to becoming a first-line supervisor. Many firms also have opportunities for on-the-job or offsite training for workers to acquire more skills in their profession.



Outlook [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top

Employment in wholesale trade will increase slowly as consolidation into fewer and larger firms occurs eliminating the jobs of redundant workers, while new technology allows operations to become more efficient. Employment will decline in some occupations but new jobs will be created in others.

Employment change. Over the 2006-2016 period, wage and salary employment in wholesale trade is projected to grow by 7 percent, compared to 11 percent growth for all industries combined. Consolidation and the spread of new technology are the main reasons for slow employment growth. Employment in the industry still depends primarily on overall levels of consumption of goods, which should grow with the economy. Growth will vary, however, depending on the products and sectors of the economy with which individual wholesale trade firms are involved. For example, due to the Nation’s aging population, growth is expected to be higher than average for wholesale trade firms that distribute pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Consolidation of wholesale trade firms into fewer and larger companies is a trend that is likely to continue. There is strong competition among wholesale distribution companies, manufacturers’ representative companies, and logistics companies for business from manufacturers. Globalization and cost pressures are likely to continue to force wholesale distributors to merge with other firms or to acquire smaller firms. As retail firms operate growing numbers of stores across the country, demand will increase for large, national wholesale distributors to supply them. The differences between large and small firms will become more pronounced as they compete less for the same customers, and instead emphasize their area of expertise. The consolidation of wholesale trade into fewer, larger firms will make some staff redundant and reduce demand for some workers, especially office and administrative support workers.

New technologies are constantly changing the shape and scope of the workforce in wholesale trade. The internet, e-commerce, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) have allowed wholesalers and their customers to better gather price data, track deliveries, obtain product information, and market products. This technology will increasingly allow customers of wholesale firms to purchase goods and track deliveries electronically, limiting the growth of sales and customer service workers who would normally perform these functions. Further automation of recordkeeping, ordering, and processing will result in slower growth for office and administrative support occupations. Customers frequently order and pay for goods electronically so fewer billing and posting clerks will be needed as to process fewer paper transactions.

New radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has the potential to streamline the inventory and ordering process further, replace the need for manual barcode scans, and eliminate most counting and packing errors. As RFID spreads it may lessen demand for administrative workers, particularly order clerks, file clerks, and stock clerks and order fillers. Not all wholesalers will implement this technology because specially trained workers will be needed to maintain the new systems and it may not be cost effective for some firms.

With these new technologies making it easier for firms to bypass the wholesaler and order directly from the manufacturer or supplier, wholesale firms are putting greater emphasis on customer service to differentiate themselves from these other suppliers. Wholesale firms are offering more services such as installation, maintenance, assembly, and repair work and creating many jobs for workers to perform these functions. Sales workers will also be in demand to more aggressively develop prospective clients, including demonstrating new products, and offering improved customer service to clients. Additionally, the passing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002, officially implemented in 2004, may also stimulate some growth in sales and other business occupations because of the new requirements for full transparency and accountability when dealing with public companies.

Job prospects. Job growth in wholesale trade will be slow, but a large number of job openings will arise as people retire or leave the occupation for other reasons. Job prospects are still expected to be good for some occupations.

This 21st Century supply chain will create favorable job prospects for computer specialists in the wholesale trade industry. Wholesalers’ presence in e-commerce and the uses of electronic data interchanges (EDI) will require more computer specialists to develop, maintain, and update these systems. Computer specialists will also be needed to install and develop radio frequency identification systems for those firms that adopt it, and to troubleshoot any problems these systems encounter.

There will also some opportunities for self-employment, with some managers and sales workers starting their own manufacturers’ representative company. For example, brokers match buyers with sellers and never actually own goods, so individuals with the proper connections can establish their own agency with only a small investment—perhaps even working out of their home.



Earnings [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top

Industry earnings. Nonsupervisory wage and salary workers in wholesale trade averaged $718 a week in 2006, higher than the average of $568 a week for the entire workforce. Earnings varied greatly among specialties in wholesale trade. For example, in the area with the highest earnings—commercial equipment—workers averaged $922 a week; but in the area with the lowest earnings—farm-product raw materials—workers made $509 a week. Earnings in selected occupations in wholesale trade appear in table 2.

Table 2. Median hourly earnings of the largest occupations in wholesale trade, May 2006
Occupation Merchant wholesalers, durable goods Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods Wholesale electronic markets and agents and brokers All industries

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

$29.68 $31.06 $33.42 $30.98

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

23.14 22.38 26.40 23.85

Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer

15.37 16.97 16.03 16.85

Customer service representatives

15.35 14.41 15.16 13.62

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

15.14 14.52 15.10 14.69

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks

12.69 12.70 12.32 12.53

Office clerks, general

11.79 11.12 10.73 11.40

Truck drivers, light or delivery services

11.48 12.34 11.64 12.17

Stock clerks and order fillers

11.41 11.19 11.44 9.83

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

10.69 10.42 10.29 10.20

Part of the earnings of some workers is based on performance, especially in the case of outside sales workers, who frequently receive commissions on their sales. Although many sales workers receive a base salary in addition to a commission, some receive compensation based solely on sales revenue. Performance-based compensation may become more common among other occupations as wholesaling firms attempt to offer more competitive compensation packages.

Benefits and union membership. Like earnings, benefits vary widely from firm to firm. Some small firms offer few benefits. Larger firms may offer common benefits such as life insurance, health insurance, and a pension. Senior level management may receive additional benefits, such as bonuses and a company car. Only about 5 percent of workers in the wholesale trade industry were union members or were covered by union contracts in 2006, compared with about 12 percent of the entire workforce.



Sources of Additional Information [About this section] Back to TopBack to Top
Disclaimer:

Links to non-BLS Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

For information about job opportunities in wholesale trade, contact local firms.

For general information on the wholesale trade industry, contact:

  • National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, 1725 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20006. Internet: http://www.naw.org

Information on careers for manufacturers’ representatives and agents is available from:

  • Manufacturers’ Agents National Association, 1 Spectrum Pointe, Suite 150, Lake Forest, CA 92360. Internet: http://www.manaonline.org
  • Manufacturers’ Representatives Educational Research Foundation, 8329 Cole Street, Arvada, CO 80005 Internet: http://www.mrerf.org

Information on many key occupations in wholesale trade may be found in the 2008-09 Occupational Outlook Handbook:



NAICS Codes [About the NAICS codes] Back to TopBack to Top

42

Suggested citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2008-09 Edition, Wholesale Trade, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs026.htm (visited September 17, 2008 ).

 

Last Modified Date: December 18, 2007