The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-02-22

verhses some particular article as a decided bargain it is a bargain at
the price offered. sa
AS the modern METROPOLITAN department store is the recognized
and acknowledged parent Of the Bargain Counter, it is from the
viewpoint of the former that / am discussing the morals OF the latter
A ROOKED BARGAIN COUNTER is THE MOST EX-l
PENSIVE LUXURY IN WHICH A DEPARTMENT STORE
COULD POSSIBLY INDULGE. Why? Because there are
thousands Of persons who visit the big department establishments
solely on the strength Of the bargains it offers in its advertisements.
At least this is their attitude in the beginning. Their other trading
they do with the small merchant nearer their own doors.
One bad bargain sale will disappont hundreds OF these special
buyers, and consequently drive their trade away. An unbroken rec
ord for square and satisfactory bargain sales changes these occa-
sional buyers into regular patrons. They come to the Big Bargain
but go out with a good list OF other purchases. Finally they come,
anyway, whether they are interested in the bargain OF the day or not
COME BECAUSE THEY HAVE FOUND THAT AN ADJ
VERTISED BARGAIN IS A REAL BARGAIN.
Then there is another way by which to get at what a Bargain
Sale means to a big department store and why the latter cannot al
ford to deal in misrepresentation about the values of its bargains.
Sometimes one days bargain sales in a single store amount to
$4,000, to $5oooo-yes, even to 100000. That means, thousands
Of individual customers brought out by this special attraction.
THEY MUST NOT BE DISAPPOINTED
But how is it that the Big Department Store can afford to offer
the bargains which they do ofer2 Do they sell these goods for less
than they cost the house selling them?
Sometimes; but not generally. AS a rule this sacrifice is not
necessary. Generally, however, the bargains are offered at less than
cost under ordinary conditions, if not below the wholesalers cost.
How is this possible? The secret may be stated in six words:
TREMENDOUS PURCHASING POWER OF CASH CAPITAL.
Here is the nub of the whole question. The manager Of the large
department store finds himself in this position:
A public OF possible patrons numbering high in the hundreds; a
capital in ready cash. In short, he has the sinews OF war and the
people who are ready to come his way if the inducement offered is
sufficient.
Then the only question is to buy close enough SO that the goods
may be offered 1t a remarkably low price, attracting thousands to the
store and possibly yielding a very small percentage of profit.
A manufacturer of a certain article in common demand comes
to him and says: 81 have made up a surplus of this particular
brand of goods; need the room they occupy and the money which
is locked up in this stock; rather than carry the stock over for an
other season l will make a big sacrifice in price. The sum involved
may be $4,000 or more; the manufacturer needs the cash and the
department store manager has it; the only consideration is the
PRICE, and if the manufacturer has been candid in his talk he will
close out the whole big line OF goods at a figure which enables his
Bargain Counter merchant to sell the goods at perhaps half their
usual retail price.
This with a hundred variations is the history Of the kind of buy
ing that makes the sensational prices of the modern Bargain Sale
possible.