The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-26
GREAT MERCHANTS, ALL.
MARSHALL FIELD. PHIL ARMOUR
AND JOHN WANAMAkeR.
Their business Methods shaker Rnd
Field Devote Their Energy and Brains
TO tho Management - Men Rather Than
Strict Attention to Details
isreclaI oorrcspondncc.l

WASHINGTON. May o. Sitting one re
cent evening in the parlor Of house
now somewhat famous in Washington.
talking with its owner, "A renowned mer.
,hant, was reminded Of the fact that
Three Of the greatest merchants Of the
world and the three greatest in Amer
lea. av well Known to me- In naming
and ranking this trio Of trade princes
find that each has in his mercantile ca.
pacity a strong distinguishing character
isiic. One. John Wansmakcr. is the
greatest retail merchant in the world.
Another. Marshall Field, is tho worlds
greatest dry goods merchant. The third
Philip Armour. sells annually products
Of greater value than any other concern
on the globe.
Marshall Field, the greatest merchant
strictly speaking. in America, and prob
ably also the greatest in the world, start
cd on his own account only twenty years
orpcrhaps a little more ago. Philip ID.
Armour has been occupied but an equal
length Of time In building up his vast bus
mess. which is partly mercantile, partly
manufacturing. These are rapid strides.
Armours yearly sales now amount 10
So ZOO. 900. and have reached rs high a.
100000 900 Field expects this year 10
sell S3j. 900 worth Of dry goods,
wholesale and retail. Wanamikcr sells
O.0OO 600 worth Of goods Of all sorts al
retail in a twclvemonth.
IL. I.
dds. Field and Wanamaker are content
70 hold the leading strings Of their great
business houses. keeping taut the lines
which hold subordinates up TO the mark
Armour not only does this, but insists
upon having daily personal knowledge
of details. Until within the last two
years the great packer has not known
what il is TO rest. Ills working habits
are 80 well known as TO need no further
description, but it is proper TO add that
there was no oxaggoration in the state
ment that habitualiy for fifteen years he
reached his ofiiceat7 or 7.3Oin the morn
ing. remaining till 6 or even later in the
evening. Wanamaker has long worked
in that same manner, arriving at his store !
along with his clerks, and quitting it
with them at night Field, on the other
hand, has learned how to work at more |
leisurcly pace. Herises at z, but does not |
reach his Office till nearly T., having
meanwhile spent a couple Of hours or so
at his great retail establishment.
From what | know Of these three
great merchants cannot say which has
TIE best grasp of his business. Each ia
practically perfect as business man in
his way. Field and Wanamaker lean
more on subordinates than Armour.
though both the storekccpers confess
that the secret of success lies more in
the management of men than in the
Of things. Field has a
quick eye, and the easy
faculty Of comprchending everything at
a glance. Without obtrusiveness he i'm
presses himself upon everybody and
verifying, and makes himself the in
'piring gent bis two great establish
rcnts. WaSahAker has the same quail
y. and is in addition fond of buying. !
lc is the most original man of the trio.
,iuch Of his success has been won on
IDEAS which broke away from precedents
original methods Of displaying goods,
# managing employees, of advertising.
# winning public confidence.
Calling one day on Wanamakcr in his
'iiice in Philadelphia found him look