An agent is someone who acts on another’s behalf. A commissioned agent runs a station for its owner and is paid a commission for doing it.
A commissioned agent runs a station that the jobber owns. The agent sells the jobber’s fuel and earns a commission, while the jobber keeps ownership of the fuel and sets the pump price.
It lets someone operate a station without buying the fuel or carrying the price risk. The jobber holds the fuel and the margin, and the agent earns by running the place well.
The two settle up daily. Fuel sales, card receipts, rent, and commission net down to a single figure owed one way or the other.
In useThe jobber owns the station and an agent runs it, so the jobber sets the price and the agent earns a commission on every gallon sold.
Where the word comes from
Agent comes from a Latin word meaning to do or act, so an agent is one who acts for another. Commission comes from the idea of entrusting a task, and it also names the payment for carrying it out.