DEALER, one who sells at retail to the public. This term is used to cover nearly all retailers except department and chain stores, and in the loose parlance of trade it is sometimes applied to the individual units of chain-store systems. The term "dealer" formerly meant one who bought and sold primarily without a place to stock a quantity of merchandise; he was sometimes also referred to as a "curb dealer"; i.e., one who transacted his business from the sidewalk.