Final answer:
Warehouse clubs such as Sam's Club and Costco function as cash and carry wholesalers, providing immediate product availability without credit. This contrasts with Amazon's cost-effective, scale-based model of online sales and delivery.
Step-by-step explanation:
Warehouse clubs like Sam's Club and Costco serve business customers primarily as cash and carry wholesalers.
They differ from other types of distributors such as rack jobbers, truck wholesalers, specialty wholesalers, and manufacturers' agents, by offering a wide range of products that businesses can purchase without credit and take with them immediately.
This contrasts significantly with Amazon's model, which relies on a vast online platform for ordering and delivery.
Amazon has demonstrated how utilizing economies of scale, through highly computerized warehouses and a vast inventory, can significantly reduce costs and undercut competitors' prices, even when shipping is factored in.
correct option b. cash and carry wholesalers