A customer and a consumer are two important terms in Store Operations-I. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings in the context of retail business. Understanding the difference between them helps a store identify its buyers, understand their behaviour and provide better service. A customer is a person or organisation that purchases a product or service from a seller or store. The customer is directly involved in the buying process and makes the payment or places the order. A customer may purchase a product for personal use or for someone else. Therefore, the person who buys a product is not always the person who uses it. For example, a father visits a supermarket and buys a school bag for his daughter. In this case, the father is the customer because he selects and pays for the school bag. The store deals directly with him during the purchase. From the store's point of view, he is the buyer or customer.