Abstract: Retail is the last link from production or circulation to consumption, and it is the most representative form of trade for the ultimate goal of commodity operation. According to Marx′s theory of commercial capital, associated operation is just the extension of industrial capital in the commercial field, and self-operation is the essence of commercial capital. Abandoning self-operation for associated operation will make the merchant′s skill of specializing in commodities as a merchant degenerate. This makes the independence, prepayment, circulation and value-added of commercial capital disappear, and retail commerce will also lose its meaning of existence. Retail operation should return to the essential characteristics of commercial capital, the general function of commodity exchange media and the professional functions of merchant. It is not only an effective way to promote the efficient development and competitiveness of retail industry, but also an inevitable choice to promote consumption upgrading and build a powerful trading country.

Key words: commercial capital, retail, associated operation, self-operation