The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1901-03-28
KEEPING TRADE AT HOME.

Local pride is indispensable to the
the success of any community, but
local pride alone will never be strong
enough to hold the trade of dealers in
smaller cities, and to prevent their Gus
toners from going to the great empo-
RUINS at the nearest metropolis. 1t is
a constant problem with dealers in
towns and smaller cities how they are
to retain the trade OF the well-to do
customers.
Here are some of the factors which
are necessary to the business of dealer
in these smaller places 1t is not nee
essary to enlarge upon them we simply
! name them: An inviting store, we'll
dressed show windows, excellent val
ues, up-to-date styles, progressive pub
licity, with advertisements changed
frequently, expert statesmen who take
an interest in customers, and, in short,
store operated to the greatest degree
possible for the benefit of the custo-
mers.
Make shopping at home attractive.
Why do women go to the larger cities
to do their shopping? 1t is simply be-
cause they cannot find what they want
! at home, or because the 10 sal dealers do
not properly advertise and push the
stock they carry Feminine shoppers
require great deal nowadays. Rail
road and trolley fares are too low for
dealers to endeavor to triHe with their
intelligence. They can rarely be de-
ceived on matters that pertain to shop
ping A dealer who is taking it easy
and letting his business in a large
measure take care of itself is slowly
drifting out of the race. The large city
concerns are operated in all depart
ments by men whose brains are always
on the alert, from morning to right,
devising new plans for increasing trade
They are said to never sleep. Regard
ing that assertion we will not vouch,
but it certainly requires as much thor
oughness and energy to make a success
of business in the smaller cities and
towns as as in the larger ones, and gen.
orally more
What must be the impression of a
woman who asks for pair of bath slim
pers, for instance, and is calmly in
formed by a languid clerk that there
are none in stock. How many different
little odds and ends of shoe store there
are that customers ask for and do not
get. They go away with sigh, saying,
They never have anything you want
there"
OF course, shoe dealers cannot afford
to over-trade. They must confine the
limits OF their stock within reasonable
dimensions, but at the same time they
must use all the ingenuity they possess
to have everyt thing in stock that custo-
mers ask for. A reputation for being
able to meet any kind of emergency is
valuable asset for dealer in smaller
town. If he must curtail his stock
somewhere, it may be that he can carry
a little smaller line of some of the sta
pie varieties of shoes. sizing up oftener
of the jobbers or even of the manufac-
turers, for the latter now, many of
them, carry shoes in stock.
Dealers are simply drifting down the
stream when they admit, with a humil-
iation that is evident upon their coun-
tenances, that they d6 not sell some
article in their line which customers
ask for. Many of these articles can be |
carried at small expense and will in
crease the reputation of the dealer |
wonderfully. The sale of these articles
by clever statesmen leads to the in
creased sale of their regular line.-Ex.
change. |