Legal Definitions - drummer

In a legal context, a drummer refers to a traveling commercial agent or salesperson who solicits orders for goods from retail businesses on behalf of wholesale merchants or manufacturers. The "drummer" typically carries samples or catalogs, takes orders from retailers, and then the goods are shipped directly from the wholesaler or manufacturer to the retailer, rather than being carried or delivered by the salesperson themselves.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Imagine a representative for a large textile wholesaler who travels from city to city, visiting various clothing boutiques. This representative showcases fabric swatches and design catalogs for new seasonal collections, taking orders from boutique owners for specific quantities of dresses, shirts, or accessories. The orders are then sent back to the textile wholesaler, who ships the finished garments directly to each boutique. This traveling representative, focused on securing orders for future shipment, would be considered a drummer.

• Consider a salesperson working for a major food distribution company. This individual regularly visits independent grocery stores and restaurants in a specific region, presenting product lists and special offers for bulk produce, packaged goods, or frozen items. They record the orders placed by store managers and chefs, which are then relayed to the distribution company's warehouse for delivery. This salesperson, whose primary role is to solicit and secure these wholesale orders, fits the description of a drummer.

• Picture a sales agent for a company that manufactures specialized industrial components. This agent travels to various manufacturing plants and workshops, demonstrating product samples and explaining the technical specifications of their components to purchasing managers. They take detailed orders for parts that the plants need for their production lines. These orders are then fulfilled by the manufacturing company, which ships the components directly to the purchasing plants. This traveling agent, focused on generating orders from businesses for wholesale supply, would be legally defined as a drummer.