Re: [austriaczech] Meaning of "Agent" as Occupation in Vienna

[Janice Sellers janicemsj@gmail.com]

X-No-archive: yes
I apologize for the delay in sharing the information I received in
response to my request for the definition of an "agent" in Vienna:

"representative", as in sales agent, or importer/distributor. One
agent for a textile firm was essentially a wholesale distributor.
Another similar occupation would be a commission agent, a sales agent
who acted as a distributor to smaller retailers. Some other source
may indicate the product or service for which he was an agent.

a man who had an agency for merchandise owned by others. He would be a
wholesaler, the one who sells the merchandise. One respondent's
great-grandfather went to industrial plants and sold merchandise on
installments to workers.

someone who travelled or walked around selling merchandise

representative for a manufacturer or wholesale business, including
insurance. It could be someone who had wares in stock for retailers
and pedlars. An agent can be used for someone who works as a
travelling salesman. It can be used for someone who is established in
business and is doing well, as well as for someone who deals with
"Luftgeschafte", which means he is barely surviving and lives by his
wits.

Thank you again to the generous people who responded to my message.

Janice M. Sellers
Oakland, California

On Wed, Aug 3, 2016 at 12:08 PM, Janice Sellers <jani...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> I'm hoping to learn what an occupation means. I have found someone in
> Vienna city directories from 1902 to 1923, always listed simply as
> "Agent." Google Translate tells me that means "agent" or "operative",
> which isn't very descriptive. Can anyone tell me what kind of work an
> "Agent" would do in Vienna in the early 20th century?
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