The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-11
THE CASE OF THE "DRuMMER.,
How His Business Differs from that OF
Few Years Ago.
New Orlea ne 1,imes-Democra


The drummer trade is nothing like as
valuable as IL used to be-" said a New Or
leans hotel clerk yesterday, for the simple
season that their visits are continually
growing shorter and shorter. A man who
formerly stayed with US a week, now gets
through IN two or three days. and the
others in proportion. great many drum
merS at present only stop over between
trains, see a few customers, who have been
notihed In advance of their coming. and
then rush away without even taking a
room. The hotel makes little or nothing
out OF such birds of passage. Take that
young man who came in few moments
ago. for example. He represents a big
novelty concern and sells TO just two houses
in New Orleans. When he registered he re-
marked that he didn't know how long he
was going to stay, and that / needn't
assign him room until later. Then he got
some mail that was waiting for him in the
rack, left one of his vaiises i'm the check
room and hurried out. He will see his two
customers before 3 o'clock and leave on the
afternoon train. Meanwhile he will get
lunch at some outside restaurant and then
spend what spare time he has in our writ
ing room, attending to his correspondence
and using cur stationery and envelopes.
Before he goes, he will leave his address
on our forwarding book so we can send on
any letters that may arrive for him later,
and after getting his valise will walk away
without having spent one copper in the
house. / would be willing TO bet he 6oesnt
even get his boots blacked here A few
years ago he would have stayed at least a
day and a night. That's one case out OF
hundreds"
ITO what do 1 attribute all this?'' con-
tinued the clerk, in reply to a question.
well. to several things. To begin with,
drumming is becoming more systematized
every day. Formerly there was good deal
Of the happy-go-lucky about II. The drum
mer was a jovial fellow. who made IL a
point to get sociable with his customers.
He would loaf around and have a good time
Cor 1o-f n.
to business. II was considered necessary
and understood and encouraged by his en-
ployer But gradually that theory began
to decline. 1t cost too much time and
and smaller and smaller profits the houses
couldn't stand IL. At present IL is prac-
tically done away with. Drummers no
longer entertain merchants TO get their
trade. The sole point Is to cover the larg-.
est possible territory and do the greatest
possible business In the shortest possible
time. and at the least possible expense A
travelling mans itinerary Is carefully
mapped out I'm advance and his customers
are notified when they may expect him TO
call, so they may arrange to give him an
audience. IL they desire. without incon-
venience. He arrives prompt 20 the min
ute. wastes no time in prefaces. but comes
straight 70 the point. The merchant. who
has been expecting him, knows just what
he needs. and frequently the biggest kinds
of orders are closed I'm a few moments.
Then the drummer thanks him kindly and
passes on TO the next. IL is all cold-drawn
business and may be good for the jobbers.
but IL is mighty bad for the hotels. OF
course. there are many exceptions Men
have to work up new routes and others are
I'm lines that cannot be pushed in any such
cut-and-dried fashion. But / am talking
about the rule. The good old days of leis-
urely soliciting. long stays and longer ex-
pense accounts are over. All this has ere
ated the impression that there are fewer
men on the road, and no doubt a good
many have been knocked out by the trusts.
but the number Is less than Is generally
supposed. The truth Is that they are work.
ing faster. hustling harder and getting a
move on themselves"