The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-02-08 00:00:00

SHOPS VERSUS STORES.

" Wholenle writes to The Time* :

The assertion recently made in The I bias that the
public may save 30 per cent. of their incomes by deal.
jug with the Civil Service Stores should not, in justice
to the retail tradesmen, be allowed to palm unchal-
lenged.
Your correspondent based his calculation upon pur-
chases of perfumery and blotting paper? but what
proportion does any one's annual outlay in such articles
bear to his income? It is on ar icles of luxury and on
articles which are used or consumed in very small
quantities, and not on those which form a considerable
item in every one's expenditure, that the tradesman
g .4, his largest profits, from which he looks to recoup
himself for the lose on a good deal of heavy trade done
at a less percentage of profit than his necessary trade
expenses.
1 speak more particularly with regard to the grocery
department, on which the Civil Service make a loss,
and I believe tino saving to be more imaginary than
real. Where the Civil Service appears and is cheap in
with patented, pack.", and proprietary goods which
they in most instances sell at coat price, which is
generally fixed by the patentees and proprietors so as
to show an exceptionally large profit to the ordinary
retail price, to induce the retailer to keep them.
I I recently compared the Civil Service prices with

my wholesale prices to the retaildi,, and there was
' an aversge difference of about 10 per cent., acid yet
they make a loss.
Where judgment is required on the part of the
trader in buying goods in bulk by sample, the public
will save in price and quality by dealing with a man
Who under4ands his business. It is a mistake to sup-
pose that the goods sold by the Civil Service are one
whit purer than those to be had if any respectable
tradesoian, for by far the greater part of the adultera-
tion is done by the manufacturers and wholesale tra ice-
men, and not by the much-abased retailer.

The above ev3ked the following letters:—
" Wholesale " challenges the statement male le-
cently in The Times that the public may save 30 per
cent, by dealing with the Civil Service Stores, aed
explains that this is only the case with fancy gcods,
stationery, &c.
I have for the last five years obtained the greatest
part of my groceries from the Civil Service Stores, an
have fr,quently compared th.ir prices with the prices
of ,he best grocer in the country town where I live,
and froin whom I sometimes percha-e a few things re
quired in a hurry. The result shows that, after charg-
ing the London goods with carriage, &c., I effect a
baying of about 25 per cent.
" tVtmlesale's " argument that the "Civil Service"
make a Los Lithe grocery department, and that the profit
on the othsr things is more imaginary than real, even if it
were not shown to be absurd by the fact that the two
leading Focietias have continued to work for five or six
years with good profits, and show no signs of a col-
lapse, would be immateigal t 3 the public, or rather
their subscribers, as long as they can purchase what
they require at the reduced rate.
The truth is that the London tradesmen see with
alarm in the extention of the co-operative movement
the prospect of a great diminution of those exorbitant
profits which alone have been the means of giving a
living to a number of tradesmen far greater than can
be legitimately supported on the population.
They are, consequently, very bitter; but their only
remedy lies, so Mr. Lowe suggested to the deputation,
in their competing with the Stores on the system of
smaller profits and quick returns. No amount of abuse
of Civil Servants or their Stores will avail against facts
which are apparent to every housekeeper.—l am, &c.,
A .FAMILY MAN.

In reply to " Wholesale's" letter in Tit( Tunes, in
which he says that the Civil Service Stores "make •
Ions" on the grocery department, allow me to point out
that on reference to the balance-sheet for the half-year
endint; the :ilst of August last I find as under .

TRADING A IVI
DR.

.....
To Stock. s.
Grocery and wine • 34,984 0
To Purchases (loss discount
Grocery and wine . . 147,366 14 7

.£182,349 15 4
t R.

„
By Wes s. d
Oro ery and wine . • 160,6.313 19 9
By Stork
(Iroceryand wine 34 708 1 11

1:195,344 1 7

Where did the " Stores " " make a loss?" It sp•
pears to me that, on the contrary, their gain wag at
the rate of about £26,000 per annum in this depart-
ment only.
I find, by experience, that the "Stores "are cheaper
in every item, enabling me to purchase what would
have been expensive luxuries if purchasable only at a
shop. Let me give you an instance. What tint made me
Join a Store was that while I was paying ss. 4d. a
pound for cloves at my grocer's, I found the charge at
the " Stores " was 81 a pound ! Mace was then fie.
per pound at my groer's, and at the " Stores " 3s. 6d.
per pound -the very best quality in in each case. I
can, if " Wholesale ' wishes it, give him many more
instances, but these ought to be enough.
As regards the clap trap about "dealing with a man
who undei stands his business," I would advise the
public to deal with a Store who understands their
business—viz,, where the goods are purchased by ex-
perienced buyers whose lives have been spent in these
occupati ins and sold to the public at the lowest possi-
ble scale of profit—in fact, a "Benefit Society" in
every sense of the word.—l am, Sic.,

Ri 71:;71:1'4TA 1)0NH.