The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-11-07

o. Il
Six Months. 50 cents.
away from an Improbable alliance
with advertisers and trusts.
We will try and point out this pres
emit relation, as it is undoubtedly the
real cause behind this widespread
against so-calIed substitu-
ton. Forty years ago the retailer was
went on the market and
bought goods at the best price and sold
them at fair profit. He was man
of some influence in the community,
and from his ranks have sprung some
of the leading business men of the
country. To be successful required
brains andlndustry; he bought where he
liked and his independence had much
to do with forming his character and
success. Today it is different: the re-
taller, especially in the grocery line, is
hardly more than a poorly paid dis
tributor for the trusts and heavy adj
vertisers. His margins are very small
and he is compelled to carry more !
varied stock. He has little chance to
prove his ability as buyer, as most Of
his stock consists of trust goods or ad-
vertised brands both of which are sold
to him at a fixed price, and in many
cases the retail price is also fixed by
the manufacturer. From this capacity
of paid servant the retailer is trying to
again win measure of independence,
and for SO trying he commits fraud
against the consuming public" to quote
from an article on substitution. The
retailer has realized that to gain inde-
pendence he must gradually discon-
tinue selling trust goods, and this is
the cause of the outcry in the maga-
zines.
To show how small the profits on adj
vertised brands are, we shall mention
few by name: Quaker Oats, manu-
ffactured by the cereal trust, retails for
ten cents per package. The retailer
pays little over nine cents package:
S1.00 per dozen, to be exact. This
price is always the same altho Quaker
Oats are nothing but common rolled
oats which vary in price with the mar
ket price of oate. The same quantity
and quality of rolled oats can be re-
tailed in bulk for five cents, and if the
retailer urges the customer to buy In
bulk, he ie, according to the advertiser,
guilty of petty larceny, atho the custo-
profit to the extent of two cents on the
transaction. Uneedas cost the retailer
| fifty-fve cents per dozen, less cash
discount, and retail for FIVE cents per
package. Advertised brands of canned
goods cost from fifteen to twenty-five
cents per dozen more than goods of the
same quality under other brands. In
hardly any case is a fair margin left
for the retailer. At first these adver-
tised goods appealed to the retailer, as
there seemed to be demand for them
and the small profit could be made up
on something else, but as time passed
advertised brands increased in number
and it became problem how to carry
such large stocks, let alone how to ex-
ist upon the small margin allowed by
the manufacturer. Then commenced
the feeling among retailers that they
were justified in pushing each brand
as paid fair profit, and discouraging
the sale of brands sold on q small mar
gin.
j This effort on the part of the retailer
is entirely within his rights as q bust-
ness man and is certainly within the
bounds of the strictest moral code.
That he is succeeding in introducing
Independent goods liz well evidenced
by the substitution cries which are go-
ing up from trust headquarters. These
independent goods are of good quality,
even better than advertised brands, or
the retailer would not risk pushing
them as he does. The cry of "mOral
thief" coming from the headquarters OF
the trusts and aimed at the small re-
taller who is trying to reach indepen-
dence, should be hurled back where it
belongs; and the magazines which sub
stitute these trust-edited articles for
those Of their own production and
opinion, are the ones most guilty Of
substitution. E. J.C.
! Keep your eyes on all small oppor.
{ tunities. They sometimes grow.-Ex