The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-09-27
MANKATo FREE Press.
AN INTERESTING MEETING
Such was that Held by the social
Science Club Last Eve
ming.
The Commercial and Social Effects
of Department Stores Thought
fully Considered.

club oTuesday was held in its new
quarters at the Commercial club
rooms, and was well attended by
members. and quite number of yisl-
tors were present. The committee
appointed to secure rooms made
their report, announcing the tender
of the rooms by the Commercial Club
and the order was formally accepted
and the members of the latter club
rendered an official invitation TO be
present at any and all meetings.
among the visitors of the evening
were several ladies.
The subject for the evening was
Department Stores-Their Effect
upon Commercial and Social Inter,
ests" While this question had much
of local interest and was treated par
TALLY from that standpoint, it was
more especially treated from a general
standpoint by nearly all who took
part in the discussion. 1t was mat
ter of regret to the club that Mr.. j.
d. Hilger, who prepared the paper.
was unable to be present, and was
also unable to complete his paper
in time for the meeting. The time
which he had to prepare it was short.
and he had delayed somewhat waiting
for statistics and other information
which he had hoped to obtain, but
did not, and this with pressure OF
other business rendered him unable
to complete it. What he had prepar.
ed was read by Mr.. e. NJ. Pope, who
also gave an outline of what Mr. Hill
ger had intended for the remainder
of his paper. In opening his paper
Mr.. Hilger said:
During the earlier years OF every
village 1t is customary to find located
therein d general store that keeps a
general line of stock, such as clothing,
dry goods, groceries, boots, shoes,
drugs, hardware, jewelry, etc, and
very often the proprietor Of such a
store buys and sells grain, butter,
eggs, etc. When the store is first To-
Gated the proprietor does not, per-
haps, carry more, than one line Of
goods. AS business increases he finds
it to his advantage to put in different
lines of stock and to take in exchange
for his goods farmers produce, such
as grain, butter, eggs, live stock,
hides, etc. When the country and
the village are developed to point
where it will Justify separate and dis
tinct lines of goods 10 be kept by
specialist dealers such as druggists
will come in and open up with COM
yplete line of drugs, hardware men
likewise, then following clothing
men, grocery men, and, in fact, all
lines of trade will be represented and
the village will then merge into d
town, and then the general merchant
begins to lose his trade in these diff
ferent lines that are represented by
experts, who devote ali their time to
their respective lines aud are, there
fore, better posted in their different
branches than the owner of the gen
eral store who has many branches to
look after. So the owner Of the gen.
eral store is compelled to drop out
those lines because he cannot success
fully compete with the new competi-
ton. Then when the place energies
into a larger city the general store
ceases and men representing separate
branches of trade, and experts in
their respective lines, will be found
located therein.
With the prosperity Of the city will
follow department store; depart
ment store is usually confined to some
one branch of business, as dry goods
store that have the different depart
ments and carry the different lines on
an enlarged scale. There are some
stores in small cities called depart
ment stores, they are nothing but
general stores on an enlarged scale,
and these stores usually carry such
goods as are kept in a general store in
a village only on larger scale; they
are not properly speaking, depart
ment- stores. A department store,
properly speaking, is a store where
there is kept full line of the differ
ent departments, such as a drygOOds
store; here will be found prints,
staple and fancy dress goods, domes-
tics, wash dress goods, silks, velvet
and velveteenS, Innings, lace, curtains,
white goods, linen, handkerchiefs-
ribbons, embroaderies, ladies neck
ware, corSets, cloakS and furs, shawls.
skirts, carpets, gloves and hosiery all
in departments.
A department clothing store would
be divided up as follows: 1st Mems
clothing department, boys clothing
department, children'S Department.
hat department, underwear depart
mect, furnishing goods department,
etc.
These stores are managed by eX-
perts in each department., when they
are carried on large scale they re-
quire expert managers and buyers OF
each department who command high
salaries, sometimes from S., 900 to $40,
600 year. In smaller cities where
rents are cheap the large general
stores, called department stores, can
not successfully compete With stores
engaged in separate lines OF business
for the reason that they require man
ayers and buyers in every department
it will require manager and expert
buyer for each line of merchandise
that they carry. So in one of those
large general stores called depart
ment stores where there are II or J.
departments they cannot successfully
compete with men engaged in separate
lines, because to successfully run eacl
department it would require higf
,oc;no1 avnort tn bnU nOo6c and M q n