Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-10-19
.0LD-lIME DRUMMERS.
How Business Was Done by the Boys of 3
Quarter of Century Ago.

hON business was Done Dy the Boys OF =
Quarter ofa Century Ago
at was in July, 1863" said Francis
Etheridge, of Sprague, Warner d Co.,
shat first went ON the rosd as com
mercial traveller. That was twenty-five
years ago. There have been many change
In the way the business is done-for in
stance, nobody in those days ever thought
of carrying twelve pounds of sam plies.
Practically We carried no samples at all.
We would go to customer and talk ousi-
ness over with him, and he would tell US
how much sugar he wanted and at what
price, or what coffee he wanted or the
number of kegs of nails. Then, too, in
those times we only made two trips in the
year. Nowadays competition has changed
all Of that. A man must take with him at
least seventy pounds of samples. The
purchaser wants to see exactly what is the
quality of the goods he is buying, with
his own eyes. The salesman must be
able 90 show him, there in his store, Just
what he Is selling, and why it is better
and cheaper than the buyer ca1 elsewhere
gst. Instead of twice year the pur-
chaser must be visited twice a month
The explanation of all this is that the re
tail dealer has been forced by competi-
ton to learn how to buy and sell more
cheaply. You can understand this better
perhaps when | tell you that when | first
went on the road practically, everybody
sold to took four and six months time to
pay; now more than half the goods We
sell are to purchasers who take their dis
count for cash. This work is certainl J
very much harder now than it was quar-
ter of q century ago; competition did
that man now must work not ten hours
but all of his time if Re wants to succeed
Glow do saleries compare in 1863 and
1887"
"The average is much higher now thar
it was then. OF course l speak only fol-
the wholesale trade in groceries, and in
our trade I believe that fully one-half the
men on the road get $4,000 year anG
more. OF course this figure includes ex
penses-"
CAT what do you estimate the aver agt
expenses"
"At least 800 year. Now i'll 1868 il
was a rafting good man who got 81 900 {
year and expenses. Salaries all around
are much more than twice as good now al
they wee then. But you must remember
that in the '6Os we were all working in thl
dark; nobody knew what he ought to pay
or what he was earning. Now with oul
elaborate system of reports and records
We know to the fraction OF a cent JUS
how much profit has been made upor
each bill of goods and just how much the
salesman has earned in selling them
Saleries are adjusted for each year upon
the basis of mans previous proved
value to u.s."
"Do not many of the men work on 6
percentage?"
Eyes, great many do. l consider il
the better way, and if l were going out or
the road again, would much prefer per
centage to salary"
What are the largest salaries paid to
travelling men in Chicago, Mr.. Ethe
ridge?'
II don't believe there is anybody get
ting more than $4,000 year, and very
very few, are getting that. 1 believe
there are five travelling men i'll the Chi
cago grocery business who are getting
from $4,000 to $4,000 year. Perhaps
100 men or more receive $4,000 year
and over. The average though, is about
81 ,000-of course I am speaking of good
men,"
"How does man first get into the
business?n
THE large houses never take anybody
who has not an established reputation.
The successful men in the smaller houses
naturally coUe to "a when they are able
to meet our demands, SO that we never
undertake the training of a new man.
Until after a man has established the
fact that he can sell goods, no matter how
much he knows about him, whether he is
going to be a success or failure. 1t all
depends Oh the man-on his tsct-on his
knowledge of men-on his ability to sell
goods in word"
'Is the calling one which you would ad
wise young man to take up?"
again it is question of the man. l
believe that tie work on the road leads to
the highest rewards in business. Many
of the men who have succeeded here in
Chicago were in their time 'drummers."
SIS work hard to get for good sales
man?"
mo. Sometimes a man who is not
known in Chicago may have to wait as
long as month before he finds an open =
ing, but good salesman is about as in
dependent as they make"
There are some houses which do Eot
send out travellers, are there not?'
yes. 1 do not think that they make
anything by it, however, for the houses
which do send out men make thousands
where the others make hundreds. Besides
that, they send out collectors who carry
sam Piles, and the difference between
them and the commercial travellers is not
always visible to the mixed eye"