Evening journal., 1904-09-20
LETTERS FROM
THE PEOPLE
Trading Stamp Facts.


Editor Of The Evening Journal:
Who pays for them? From a grocery
standpoint this question can best be
answered by a grocer Of wide expert
ence. At once / divide the proposition
into two parts and deal first with the
legitimate use Of stamps, In which case
the merchant pays for them just as he
woud allow one per cent, two per cent,
or at the ouside three per cent. dis
count on cash business. As a rule no
grocer would give stamps on unprofit-
able goods, such as sugar, but on most
other goods the legitimate giving Of
stamps n consistently adhered to. costs
the grocer on an everage of two per
cent. on his whole business--teas, cof-
fees, spices, flour and sundry groceries.
This is more than the average grocer
can afford 10 pay One per cent. would
be more in line with consistent buying
and selling OF goods at right prices.
At best the profits on the business are
small and slow. Very few grocers are
buying automobiles as a family lux
ury
Now for the second part / will deal
with the customer who pays for the
stamps, and lots of them do For in
stance, you notice glaring advertise
ments-S10 worth OF stamps with one
pound OF 60-cent tea, $40 worth OF
stamps with one pound of baking pow
der, As cents; 81 worth OF stamps with
one bottle ammonia, 10c; 81 worth Of
stamps with one bottle blue, 10c; 81
worth OF stamps with one gallon pure
cider vinegar, 25 cents We could emu
merate more, but this is sufficient. Now
then, the stamps cost the grocer from
two per cent. to four per cent, just ac-
cording 10 the quantity and terms on
which he agrees with stamp company.
This is where the customer Is ground
out. The tea at retail Is cheap tea
costing Is cents, and sells at 80 cents
pound. Same rule applies to coffee
Common baking powder retails at 10
to IS cents a pound, ammonia at 8
cents a bottle. A large bottle OF blue
retails at cents. A gallon OF common
vinegar made OF sawdust or meal can
be sold az Is cents the gallon, and can
be bought as low as 20 cents the
gallon. Cider vinegar OF course win
cost In one-barrel lots 10 cents the gall
lon wholesale. Good blue, first quality
in large bottles, Z l-2 cents. Ammonia,
full strength, cents. Everybody knows
the value OF Royal or Rumford baking
powder. It viii pass for legal tender
In this city, and choice Formosa tea
will cost from 30 cents to 40 cents
pound, and is sold retail at so cents to
so cents, but no excess Of stamps. This
shows how cheap goods are substituted
for good goods, and the customer who
wants to get too many stamps with
eaoN purchase deceives himself or her.
self, thus paying for them. A merchant
who gives stamps consistently as at
first pointed out pays for them in that
case.
Now another point; The crying need
Of the grocery, drug and liquor trade
In Delaware is legislative enactment of
a law creating board of inspectors
who win protect dealers and consumers
against imposition. Delaware is the
dumping ground for impure goods that
cannot be sold in Maryland, Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey or other States hav-
ing pure food laws. II we must have
adulterated goods have them so brand
ed. Call a shovel a shovel and a spade
a spade.
One Who Knows.