零售商业与大众生活关系非常密切 ,没有哪类公共场所能像零售商店这样几乎被所有人频繁光顾。正是由于这一特点 ,社会对零售商业的要求不仅局限于提供商品 ,而且还要求为大众进行信息交流、业余消遣、避免受劣质商品的困扰等创造条件 ,这就是零售商业的社会职能。本文通过剖析某些西欧发达国家零售企业的成功做法 ,得出了零售企业完全可以通过履行社会职能提高经济效益的结论。 Retail business has a very close relationship with people’s lives. There is no public place that can be frequented by almost everyone, like a retail store. It is because of this feature that the social requirements of retail business are not limited to the provision of goods, but also create conditions for the public to exchange information, amateur pastime and avoid problems caused by substandard goods. This is the social function of the retail business. By analyzing the successful practices of retailers in some western developed countries, this paper concludes that retailers can improve their economic performance through fulfilling their social functions.