jobbers

Noun

jobber (plural jobbers)

1. (archaic) One who works by the job (i.e. paid per individual piece of work) and/or recruits other people for such work.
   • The deponent, in the course of negotiation for sundry jobs, expressed his curiosity repecting the Habits and Life of the Knights of the Thimble, when the jobber to the Nobility and Gentry kindly volunteered to accompny him on a round to some of the great shops of the west.1866 November, “A Visit to the Tailors of the West”, in The Suburban magazine, volume 1, page 99
2. An actor temporarily employed for a specific role, often in a touring company.
   • Most of the music circuses use jobbers in four to eight of the leading roles for each show. These jobbers are principal actors who are employed for one or two leading roles during the season. There is no difference between a star and a jobber, except that a jobber is not necessarily a "big-name"...1957, Lorna Marie Wildon, A survey of contemporary American musical arena theatres, and an analysis of problems of organization and production
3. (UK, obsolete) A promoter or broker of stocks for investment.
   • An act to restrain the number and ill practice of brokers and stock jobbers: 8 & 9 Wm. 3, ch. 32 (1697) [legislation of English parliament]
4. An intermediary who buys and sells merchandise.
   • We will say "I would rather be an expressman hauling tobacco, cigarettes, et cetera, than be a jobber of such commodities," especially in the city of Boston at the present writing.1916 June 14, “25,000 Cigarettes at $1.50 Gross Profit, the Result of Boston Price Cuts: Jobbers Work On Starvation Basis, Despite Increased Cost of Doing Business”, in United States Tobacco Journal...

   Synonyms:

   middleman, broker

   1. (US) A type of intermediary in the apparel industry, as well as others, who buys excess merchandise from brand owners and manufacturers, and sells to retailers at prices that are 20-70% below wholesale.
   2. (UK) A market maker on the stock exchange; a stockjobber.

See all 9 meanings of jobber