The Cairo bulletin., 1906-10-28

J. men and merchants gathered in IN
hotel lobby. At the same time, h
continued, there Is no reason why W.
shouldn't get a good round prom
+ on a lot OF the things we have
If we mark them in plain figures tn,
; people will think we are treatn'
+ them right so we might as well :,
ahead and get a profit Now, for eX
ample, man came TO my town las
season direct from the min. and
bought from him 5000 yards of as
} sorted widths in laces at az cents 9
yard.
Now, when these goods came
in you see had bought
them myself. without talking it over
with the young lady in that depart
ment-l didn't tell her what they
cost hut merely said to her. Nov.
look here You take these laces and
sort them out and tell me what you
think they will bring She said the
very narrowest ones would bring l2la
cents and that the broadcast would
bring 90 cents yard | didn't tell
/ her anything about what they cost.
but said that We could afford to sell
/ them for that price and | let her go
ahead and sell DO YOU know, she
/ cleaned out nearly all of those 5000
Yards Now, that's the way believe
IN doing business
Hoover, another merchant, grin,
ned and quietly answered We'll. that
may be your way, but ] do things a
little differently Hoover was a man
who had a business in a smaller town
than the other fellow Yes. sir: do
business q little differently That
fellow struck me, too. and bought
5000 yards but | marked it this way.
the narrowest widths at IL cents
lust what they had cost--and for the
broadcast | didn't ask more than 20
Now, you've told me that you cleaned
out nearly all thai you had. / had to
recorder twice. OF course merchant
has a right to make a long profit out
Of shaky article 4 man has right,
in fairness TO his customer, to make a
long profit on short season goods, for
he should not carry over things that
have gone out of STYLE. Take. for
example ladies hats They change in
style as often as we have new
moon, Out it's a mighty poor prac
tice don't believe merchant
should follow in the footsteps OF an
old merchant | once knew down in |
Kentucky, where ! was raised Dur |
ing the war when sugar was worth |
over % cents a pound. he bought a |
hogshead OF it, He had two rules OF |
business; one was never to sell any
thing on credit and the other was |
never TO sell an article without prof
it-and, do you know, that when that |
old man died, 20 years after the war.
he actually had part of that hogs
head OF sugar that he had carried dur
ing all that time All at once sugar
look a drop and nobody would buy it d!
rom him because he asked too much
.or it. Finally he bought more sugar
and sold il, but he would never sell
what was in that hogshead for less
han what ii cost him, | say man
las a right to make a long profit Oh |
short season goods He can do this
md still be fair to his customer, be.
,ause when the season for these
hings is past-take straw hats f5g
.Xample-he must sell them below
.ost. But this gousing a customer
viii not win out
One Merchants Experience.
You're right there, Hoover" re
marked Watkins the dry goods sales
nan Il agree with you. You've head
# Ed Wilson, who used to be in bust.
less away down in Alma, Neb.
iaven't you?"
Yes I've heard OF that fellow A
reat many of the boys have spoken
0 me about him {
Yes, sir; Wilson was strictly bus
less He prided himself on keeping G
n appointment that he made RICH. to
be minute He bought goods quickly d
nd ii he bought anything at a low A
rice-say a good clean job lot at 50 l.
ants on the dollar-he would give d
is customers the benefit OF IT, When Q
e first started in business he nearly q
ent broke at making long profits and I
wing long time He took a tumble II
, himself all at once and quit pa y
,nizing blank book memo more o
dgers for him. He turned as com n
etc a business somersault as any n
an | ever knew He is way ont
lere in the hot wind country. but he q
as built up a big business People / q,
now that Wilson sells stuff cheap. n
i'd people come through other towns -,
buy goods from him When I first f.
lew him his credit was no good n.
DIV he not only discounts bills but ,r
axes additional discounts by anfjci- d,
ting payments. lie owns big ~
i'll and a bank lie is the NEST sue 81
ssful small retail merchant that q,
low Of he prodted by taking tie IN
ople into partnership with him.
Buying Right. =.
Buying 5ctt is tho thing that
axes you able 90 sell right tho !
pax man SPOKE up Yes sou bet ".
ur Hfo. that tae thing We must
Ok en-, for cmafied both Of the 20
tail merchants.
L-rnt. ara man cDrfrn-r5 IN.