The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-07
A COOPERATIVE STORE.
How a Number of Workingmen Are Saving
the Retail Profit on Their Groceries.

Persons passing along Pearl street from Della
ware to Alabama on a Tuesday, Thursday or
Saturday evening" may have had their attention
attracted to queer little store which is found
open in that out-of- the-way place on these even
ings of the week. Generally little crowd of
workingmen are to be seen there at such
times. There is no sign out and there
would seem to be no inducement to open store
there. Inside Of the small room are a few
shelves, containing canned fruit, spices, pepper
and various other articles to be found in gro
Gerry. while the floor is well-nigh covered with
boxes Of soap and starch, bags of flour and bar
res of potatoes. crackers, smoked meat and
other articles. This is the Knights of Labor CO.
operative store, and it has been in existence
about four months In January, several mem
bers of the order organized for the purpose of
establishing and maintaining cooperative &C
ton amongst all branches of productive industry
and to secure just, equitable and economic
distribution OF the products Of labor The
of money by putting their money together, buy
ing at wholesale and then dividing the
goods. The organization was incorporated.
The shares were fixed at So, each
Of which 81 was to be paid in cash and the re-
mainder in weekly installments of 80 cents.
About thirty persons took shares, the little
room mentioned was rented for 81 month, and
a supply of goods was purchased. To save clerk
hire, certain members took charge gratuitously
on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings
at which times it was agreed the store should be
kept open. Regularly the members of the asso-
citation on the evenings mentioned have
come to the store and taken what they wanted
from their part of the supplies, the articles be-
ing measured to them and an account kept by
the member in charge, to see that no one gets
more than he is entitled to. Nothing has been
sold, and up to this time, it has been simply a
union OF purchases to get the benefit
of wholesale rates. Nothing, of course,
that would spoil quickly has been kept.
The membership has increased to upwards of
sixty since the store was opened. All the mem
bers that the reporter talked with were highly
pleased with the plan. One had, previous to tine
opening of the store, contracted large indebt
edness at the groceries, and could never catch
up. Since the store opened be has paid off that
Indebtedness with what he has been
crackers for 25 cents" said member,
and one-half pounds for that money" pound
of pepper in the cooperative store cost only Is
CENTS while in the grocery it costs so or 60 cents.
On many other articles the saving is equally
large. On sugars and flour the profits of gro
GERS are small and not much is saved. Gener
ally, however, the saving is very considerable.
One member said he had saved 1927 on pur
chase Of S. 33.
This week the association will rent a stand in
the East market will hire man to take charge
and will sell to the public generally. All profits
will then be- divided among the members at
stated intervals.