The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-07-12
FOOL|NC THE PUBLIC
TRICKS or THE TRAVELLING re.
TAIL GROCERY AGENTS.
GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
The Price May Be sman, But the
Goods Are Expensive Even at
That and Net Big
Profits.

You may know something about tn,
modus operandi of the travelling gro
Ger, and how the house after paying
MIN 20 per cent. commission still
makes a princely profit There may
be some things, inside affairs that ii is
well that the people in general may
Know II will be found on close inves
ugation that the average Mercantile
Supply company. Buyers association
or whatever name is used 10 gull the
unsuspecting farmer. consists OF one
or tive schemers. who have a small
office room in some large city. and a
back room in the near neighborhood
where the stores" are stored and the
re-packing and the mixing done. The
sepacking aud the mixing are two
important parts OF the work of the
company" When the representa-
tive sells John Jones 100 pounds of
sugar for $3.50, five cases OF canned
goods al S240 a case; three boxes OF
dried fruits al ten cents a pound. a
Few gallons OF extract az a bargain
and ten or 10 pounds OF spices al a
profit OF 200 per cent. the order is
sent TO the home Office" There it is
recorded. The boy is sent down to the
Wholesale grocery house which gen
orally stands in with the concern.
brings back q lot of ordinary bulk
dried fruits, the cases of seconds or
thirds, in canned goods, and the ave
race rim af moor ep{ca1 u, 81. .,aa-
Ing room the dried fruits are over
hauled. washed up If possible as in
the case of prunes, and packed in
boxes supposed 10 contain full 25
pounds, but only run from is TO %:
branded with some fictitious mark
and shipped out with the other sup.
plies The spices are dumped out.
and again run through a mill with a
lot OF ground nut-shells, bark or other
matter, and perhaps some bran or
other cheap material is added. The
extracts are of the cheapest class.
synthetic. and the pure fruit flayors
are products of coal-tar. doctored up |
with coloring matter 10 look good. !
The label is the only pure thing about |
L aside from the glass in the bottle /
it,
IN fact. the tricks of the box-car /
outfits are legion. The teas sold are
lever up TO the samples shown. In
no case q schemer travelled over the /
'ourtry carrying with him samples OF I
'eyloa teas that were worth As cents
FounJ wholesale He agreed TO sup
'iy this tea at so cents He received
arge orders. Every order was filed
Win teas that cost only 20 cents
'nund, and the funny thing about 1t
'as that there was no kicking. be-
ause the farmers knew nothing
bout teas. and were satisfied as long
; they thought that they had a fine
'eylon article. The same way with
Offices. II there is anything that even
Office experts know little about il IS
ohee. IL is a wise merchant who !
aows the classes Of coffees he is
andling. The box-car man generally
hoWs up a cheap bigberry, tells all
bout It being great mountain Mocha
nd sells three pounds for a dollar
nd buys IL at is or II cents 6 pound.
Mould the local grocer try to sell the
anne grade TO his customers at such a
rice. there would go up a roar that
ould raise the roof OF the store. Stl
re farmer continues to bite at such I
ats, and doesn't squeal