Definition: Cash and carry

Category: Distributive trade

Cash and carry is a form of trade in which goods are sold from a wholesale warehouse operated either on a self-service basis, or on the basis of samples (with the customer selecting from specimen articles using a manual or computerised ordering system but not serving himself) or a combination of the two. Customers (retailers, professional users, caterers, tradesmen, institutional buyers, etc.) settle the invoice on the spot and in cash, and carry the goods away themselves.