The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-09-24
a PERPLEXING AND TEXING CUES
TON.

Who can ignore the middleman? The
middleman is the retailer, and the con-
sumner schemes to save the retailers
profit, but even when successful does
1t pay? We heard of an instance re-
Gently not far from New York, where
a hotel man needed some chamber
suits Did he buy them of one of the
local dealers? That is what good pol
icy would have counseled, but instead
he bought them of the travelling repre-
sentatives of one or more houses and
when the dealers heard of it they i'm
mediately put "a rod in pickle for
both the hotel man and drummers who
sold the goods. The first Saturday af
ter the sale one of the dealers asked
two drummers where they were going
to stay over Sunday.
.At -" mentioning the new suit"
house.
ssWeIl, I guess not" said the dealer;
Ego down and withdraw your names
and grips and come up to the -----
house, and / will join you" While
they were talking a third travelling
man came in, and the result was that
all three left the hotel whose proprie-
tor had said, "Why should I favor any
of the dealers; they don't do anything
for me?" and registered at the rival
house. The dealers may not do any
thing for him, but the influence that
had been in his favor was now against
him and his guests numbered three
less that Sunday than they would have
done under ordinary conditions. A
clever and diplomatic hotel man needs
all the influence he can control to aug
ment his business, and dealers often
influence trade, for the three men who
found a new home are more than likely
to influence three more, and so the
damage grows.
Furniture dealers handle hotel orders
for such a trifing commission that no
hotel man can afford to ignore them.
They really buy their goods at whole
sale when they patronize the retailer,
for every dealer knows what he has
got to run against when competing for
hotel business, and there is only the
credit of holding the trade to compen-
safe him for his trouble.
Even hotel men, as a rule, cannot
afford to be too independent, and it is
well for them to patronize their home
of both it's influence and good will. If
the hotel man suffered for his short
sighted blunder what punishment
awaits the drummers who sold the
them? Statesmen who make this error
goods and the house which shipped
antagonize their trade and emphasize
the fact that they are not loyal to the
class which supports them. A sales
man can live without the people he
sells for, but not without the people
he sells to. 1t is much easier to get a
new employer than it is to get new GUS
toners, so it behooves them to use
their customers generously, honestly
and above board, however reverse they
may use their employers.
Selling direct to consumers" is the
burning question of the hour and the
retail dealers are in the fight to exter.
inmate the practice. There should ex
tst no necessity for this fight, as every
manufacturer and every salesman
should guard the buyers interests a!
iealously as his own; indeed, the buy
ers' interests are his own; they can
be separated; to divorce these interest:
is to kill the goose that lays the gold
en- egg'-From the Furniture WorlC
of September 3.