Crossword Genius

Retail problem at the opening of trading for one of those consumed by the books (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

literati

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'those consumed by the books' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'retail problem at the opening of trading for one' is the wordplay.
'problem' indicates an anagram.
'at' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'the opening of' suggests taking the first letters.
'for' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
The initial letter of 'trading' is 't'.
'retail' anagrammed gives 'litera'.
'litera'+'t'+'i'='LITERATI'

'of' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for literati that I've seen before include "Well-educated readers" , "Literary intelligentsia" , "The intelligentsia interested in writing and reading" , "Bookish types" , "Learned, well-read people" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.