Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-04
OF OMAHAS TRADE
Iobbers Begin to Experience the Sweets Of
Hopes Fulfilled,
LAST WEEKS BUSINESS WAS VERY GOOD
All Lines Report a Decided improvement
While ManysDcalers say the Open
ing Is Ahead of Last Years
nlspent Boom.

A great patriot said. at is natural for
man to indulge in the illusions of hope.''
After n period Of continued depression men
would be less than human If the smallest
ray Of sunshine did not seem magnifed into
a MONDAY blaze. The jobbers Of Omaha are
just now regarding the commercial horizon
through rainbow tinted glasses, but in the
light of the changes of the past six days
their enthusiasm is not only pardonable but
entirely commendable.
For several weeks past The Bee has ex-
pressed the opinion that the beginning Of
March and the advent Of spring sunshine
would in a large measure awaken the dor
mant conditions into comparative activity.
There has been a steady improvement in the
jobbing trade that promised to eventually
develop into active business. But the record
of the week past has exceeded the most SAN
guine expectations. 1t seems to be the first
genuine awakening OF the spring trade, and
all lines of business have felt the influence
in n greater or less degree. The jobbers
have experienced a genuine rush of orders
and most Of them have had all the business
they could well attend to during the entire
week.
Much of this improvement may be as
~ Nv ublb Ib0oNooNh ~ lHt aver bt
Omaha business man of studying the con-
ditions of his trade and looking for some
means whereby he can turn even his mis-
fortunes to account. Some time ago some of
the leading local jobbers thought they could
see a way to make capital out of the de-
pressed condition of the trade. They sur
missed that under the present conditions
many retailers who had been accustomed to
go to Chicago or New York after their spring
goods would be more favorably disposed
toward the home market, where they could
buy with equal advantage and without the
expense of a protracted trip. All that was
necessary was to convince them that Omaha
could supply their wants just as %satisfac-
torily as the larger jobbing points, and for
the past thirty days the Omaha jobbers have
been working assiduously to that end.
COUNTRY BUYERS COMING IN.
That their ideas were founded on wise
policy is now becoming apparent. As soon
as the pleasant weather appeared the coun-
try merchants began to make their appear
ance, and as u result the house trade during
the week has exceeded all expectations.
While 1t Is true that orders are still more
conservative than usual, the aggregate of
trade is in no wise diminished. The retailer
who bought $4,000 worth of goods last year
may not buy over half that amount this
year, but consumers are sufficiently numer-
Gus to make up the deficiency. They are
buying closer, not because they expect to
do less business this year than last, but be-
cause they believe it good policy to prefer
buying a little less than they need and com
ing back to fill up their lines later in the
season than to be left with a quantity of I'M
sold goods on their hands, as they have been
in previous years. This policy cannot but
benefit the trade in the end and it is be-
lieved will cause the spring business to hold
up strong toward the end Of the season.
That the jobbers are enthusiastic over the
prospect goes without saying. If some of
them are disposed to gid the situation some
what too freely they should be pardoned.
They are up to their necks in business and
the sensation Is so novel that almost any
exuberance of enthusiasm is eXcusable, There
are two or three houses in the city that do
not hesitate to claim that their trade during
the past week was even in excess of the
boom with which the spring business started
out last year. This may be due to the fact
that they have branched out into additional
territory and have made a more united effort
to bring trade to the city. The Improvement
Is most noticeable in the dry goods line,
although the boot and shoe jobbers have also
been favored with a trade that has exceeded
all expectations. The extremely low prices
which rule in many lines of dry goods has a
tendency to attract buyers and IL the present
business keeps up thirty days longer there
will certainly be a material advance in prices
on certain lines. The call for manufactured
goods continues heavy and the local fac
tories are running to their full capacity.
Spring lines of dress goods are moving on
with considerable spirit and buyers are
beginning to do business upon a more con-
fident basis.
Groceries and hardware have also been
more active, and while the improvement has
not been SO marked as in dry goods, 1T is
enough to convince the jobbers that the
spring trade will be all right. The demand
is not so much confined to staple groceries
as 1t has been, and canned goods and other
fancy lines which have been very duh all
the season are coming into general demand.
JOBBERS WORKING IN UNISON.
. II g., a foct uvprtby of pnta that thn Omaha
jobbers are closer together this spring than
they have ever been before in the history of
the city. There is a general tendency to bury
competitive differences and work together to
build up the local market. Almost any day
leading jobbers may be seen visiting the es-
Establishments of their competitors and dis
GUESSING with them ways and means for get
ting together and working up a boom for
Omaha trade. The lesson of the past season
has taught that the necessity for united
action was imperative and it has been well
Needed. As a prominent dealer expressed 1t,
I'VE are doing something today that we have
never done before, We are standing Shout
der to shoulder for Omaha against the world
and believe that this in itself means a new
era of prosperity for the jobbing trade of the
city"
The local bank clearings also reflect the
Improvement of the week. The decrease from
the clearings of the corresponding week in
last year has been reduced from 1913 per cent
TO 29.3, and this record is equaled by no
other clty in the west. The clearing house
receipts for the past six days are;
Monday SSO, 2l4.li
tuesday S~S2,3l2.45
"Wednesday oy3 S5SSS
Thursday 9m,SSi95
Saturday 1,O60, 030.03
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sc, 625, 24S.S2
.-.. 40 ~ A., -, |