A merchant is a person who buys and sells things.  There are many kinds of merchants like the owner of the corner grocery or the supermarket, the video store and the produce store.  There are also merchants who buy and sell land and stock in companies.  There are merchants who sell toys and games and books and compact discs.  Indeed, there are so many different kinds of merchants that it is impossible to list them all.
        The merchants with whom we are most familiar are the store keeper who buys goods from a wholesaler and then sells them to her customers for a profit.  A profit is the difference between what one pays for something and what one sells it for, if it is sold for more than is paid for it.  If one sells  something for less than one pays for it, it is a loss.  Only merchants who make a profit stay in business.

ARMAND IN HIS MOTHER'S STORE
        After school, Armand went to his mother's store to help her.  His mother sells button and thread and cloth and sewing  machines, needles and other things used for sewing and tailoring. 
        When Armand arrived at the store, his mother was talking with a salesman for the wholesaler who was showing her the new patterns  on the fabric they wanted her to buy for sale to her customers.  She stopped for a moment to say hello to Armand and to kiss him.  She then went back to her talk with the salesman.

        Armand went to the back of the store and began to unpack cartons of buttons that were delivered the day before.  He separated the buttons into different types such as pearl and plastic and metal, for shirts and blouses and coats and jackets.  He then took them out into the store and placed them in the drawers provided for them so the customer could choose as many as were needed of any particular button.
        When he'd finished he unpacked cartons of sewing machine supplies such as cans of oil and bobbins and replacement needles.  He placed these in their proper place.
        His next task was to unpack cartons of thread but his mother, who had finished with the salesman, reminded him that he must do his homework first. So he took his books  to a table in the rear of the store and did his homework while his mother spoke to a customer who had just entered the store.

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