Passage 2
Some suppliers have discount policies that give certain customers a reduced price for goods. Trade discounts are discounts offered to middlemen. For example. the retail price of a shirt may be ; the manufacturer may sell it to the retailer at a 40 percent discount from this price, or S6. Trade discounts permit middlemen to make a profit by performing special marketing functions.
Quantity discounts encourage customers to buy in large amounts. A dealer who buys a truckload of lawn mowers will pay a lower price per lawn mower than the dealer who buys only a few machines. Some firms offer cumulative quantity discounts. These permit a customer to total up consecutive orders to qualify for a discount. For example, let us assume that an order of forty typewriters qualified for a 10 percent discount. An office equipment store might order twenty-five, then ten, and then another five. Since the cumulative total would be forty, the store would be entitled to take 10 percent off its entire bill.
Cash discounts are given in order to encourage prompt payment. Cash discount terms are stated on the bill that accompanies the merchandise. For example. two/ten, net 30" means that a customer who pays within ten days of receiving the merchandise can take percent off the bill. The customer has the choice of paying in ten days and taking the discount, or waiting the full thirty days and paying the net, or full, amount of the bill.
Seasonal discounts are sometimes given by firms that sell seasonal items like air conditioners or ski equipment. A company that installs central home air conditioning may offer customers a 10 percent discount on work done in the fall and winter. A ski shop may give discounts on equipment purchased during the summer. Companies offer seasonal discounts to spread out their sales into those times of the year when business is slow.
Retailers can make a profit ____.
A、by getting 40 percent discount from the manufacturers
B、by performing special marketing functions
C、by expanding their business
D、by getting trade discounts
【正确答案】：B
【名师解析】:贸易折扣允许中间商通过执行特殊的市场功能来获得利润。在文中提到，贸易折扣是提供给中间商的折扣，例如制造商可能会以零售价的40%折扣出售商品给零售商。这种折扣允许中间商在执行特殊市场功能时获得利润。因此，正确答案是选项B，即通过执行特殊市场功能来获得利润。
