The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-18
HON STOCK Is TAKEN
That Important and interest
ing Operation Described.
SWEETNESS ANDACCURACY
United in a System Which Is
all But Perfection.
WITNESS ANDACCURACY

Something of the importance OF the WI n
recently undertaken by wholesale mer-
chants may be cleaned from this remark
The inventory time calls for all the labor
and ingenuity the employe can bring TO
bear. For the employer it IS an anxious
time in more ways than one. In the great
stores he does not know, accurately, Wnere
he stands in the business, except on Two
occasions-immediately after the inventory
of January and Immediately after that OF
July. Even then the statements brought
10 him show only the condition on the
exact day Of the inventory. Within two
days, if called upon TO state the exact
amount which he has invested in stock,
he would be unable to state within several
thousand dollars. If he should fail, it
would take the employees of a receiver or
an assignee several weeks to find out what
his employees discovered in three days, of
course. familiarity with the goods under
inventory plays an important part.
The approach of the inventory-taking in
the big drygoods jobbing stores comes
with the day after New Years 1t is her
aided by phalanx Of porters with hand
trucks, who fall on all the boxes and car
tons, empty them with their contents, and
dray them off, like the jiants in the fairy
tales, to their caves and lairs in the se!-
lers. The goods thus dumped incontinently
on the floors are piled up in lots on
papers. Dress-g goods and prints and SINH
lar bulky goods are assembled in groups
of about twenty-five unites-pieces are
bundles. less rough method is pursued
fro ri1a iola Of
merchandise. These "lOts' are neatly ar
ranged in long double rows with an aisle
between every two rows, for the conve-
nience of the neutrality-suspicious.. These are
the young men Gin the stock" the class
of apprentices, half porters, half sales
men, who arrive in time at the goals of
their ambitions, and become travelling
men" or general statesmen" These are
a study in industry during the time the
inventory-taking is in progress. There is
no time for f1ipant conversation behind
piles of goods or condolences in the hall
wavs.
It is a long, tedious task that is set be-
fore them. They have begun at half-past
eight, and, nuless they are novices, they
know they will be at work until midnight.
ing the fleeing half-hours given them for
meals, must claim their whole attention.
They work in pairs, one calling while the
other writes. They are printed and con-
secutively numbered slips in the hands
of the writers, squares of yellow paper,
upon which the figures must be exact and
distinct One sheet is used for lot, and
the goods are accurately described, the
number of pieces or bundles is stated, the
make and the style are noted upon the
slip. In most cases the work is varified
by assigning the pairs to go over the
cheeks Of others after their own 'lots"
have been scrutinized. When a '1ot' is
examined, the top piece is set cross-wise
on the pile, an indication of completion
which strikes the eye at a glance. When
the work is done, the head Of the depart
ment and his assistants tage a general
survey Of the floor and note whether any
Tots" have escaped the attention Of the
recorders. The slips are then collected
and arranged numerically. They are pass
ed to the heads of the department. whose
hardest labor now begins. Only the de-
scription and amount of the goods are on
the slips. The department chief must put
opposite each item its actual market value
at that time.
This is the point where the department
were to place opposite the goods the cost
price OF them, his task would he compar-
atively easy. Bat certain goods or styles
have deteriorated in value, by reason of
known odry-goods men, or from other
causes. Other descriptions OF goods have
increased IN value. OF all these facts the
department chief must be quite sure. If
there is a question in his mind as TO exact
values on any particular line of goods,
he places the lesser value on it.
I'VE must not cheat ourselves" said
department chief inspeaking of this de-
tai. by the time the newt inventory
time comes We must show that our gods
have brought the value We have placed
on them, al least-unless unforeseen trade
changes occur to account for any discrep-
ancy-' To fail TO show a profit through
an overestimate Of stocks is simply beyond
apology.
The slips are now sent to the entry
clerk, who go into the multiplication bus
mess on huge scale. Their task IS to
figure the value on each "lo," by multi
plying the amounts by the prices affixed
by the chiefs. The slips then show the
values by lois" and they are sent al
once 10 the book-keepers. who vary the
arithmeticai processes by substituting ad-
d:tion for multiplication. They foot IN the
lot values in each department. and make
statements showing the partial and gen
eral totals These final inventory sheets
Gals Of the company. if il = a corpora
ton. Copies OF them are sent TO the de-
partment chiefs, and from them are post
ed the general and department. stock
books
Next morning the young men are re-
packing the goods in the cases. which the
poriers have wheeled back into place. They
put the goods as nearly as possible into
The boxes or cartons which thew. once. oc-
cupied. Then the newly purchased goods
are brought by the hundreds Of cases. and
set in long rows. which. in their entirety.
are not removed FOR six months. During
the whole task. the details OF the work
have been allotted 20 The men-ths labor
Of each being only that upon which he i
deemed TO be an expert. The system and
organization could not De more perfect
Practically. il most Of the departments
there : no selling done on these DAYS.
Announcement IS made 70 the customers
OF the firm OF the exact date OF inventory
taking Gt varies seldom. and the buyers
have Ions ago learned ;hat the time Is
no, a propicious one Tor shopping" and
stay away should customers appear. they
are welcomed. and the general statesmen
attend to their wants. which are gener-
ally kiiEht and only necessary seeds re-