The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1908-02-14
WITH LOCAL MERCHANTS.
Effect Of New Changes Passing of
Old Methods and Systems.

noisome devices the mercantile BUSH
ness of Union City has been under
going the effects of gradual evolu-
ton, and the period which marks
the opening of the year 1908 ushers
in a new or distinct era in that ave-
nue. of trade.
Forty years ago we had the typ
ical country store, with its dry
goods, clothing, boots and shoes,
notions, groceries, hardware-a few
ordinary staples in each of these
these lines, badly kept and poorly
handled. There was little effort at
neatness and systematic stock keep
ing. In the dull days of summer
the salespeople whitfield on goods
boxes and snapped yarns, or played
marbles or checkers. Time passed
on and the Jew arrived with inno-
vations revolutionary to primitive
lldeas. 4 When the customer disap-
peared the salesman had to look
after the stock and keep it in per-
feet order. New and better system
of handling goods was established
and pastimes forgotten during BUSH
ness hours. Prices, however, were
flexible. Indeed a customer would
feel that he had been poorly treated
if the price first asked was paid for
the article. So popular was this
method that the price received for
an article was often double and
triple its cost. Cost sales were
common, but cost was not adjudged
to mean the wholesale and carrying
price. This was the Jew system,
and it prevailed for many years.
Even Bw that system of selling
has not altogether disappeared, al
though the Jews have been gone
for number of years.
The departure of the Jew afford
ed an opportunity for native talent
and young blood whom he had tn,
tored Department. stores and sys-
TENS were established and flour
ished until Union City boosted of
three emporiums of merchandise
without doubt as large as any out
side of Memphis in West Tennes-
see. With these came new capital
and management, but the Jew
school of storing and handling of
goods predominated; in fact that
was one of the principal features
| in the mercantile business of Union
City which contributed to its repu-
tation as a shopping center for
northwest Tennessee and a large
section of Kentucky adjacent. This
point in connection with the fact
that Union City merchants had
learned to cater to the demands
and caprlces of the more exacting
| classes, the nature and character Of
| goods they wanted, and the conf
dence and courage to deal in high
class lines, established our suprem-
acy as shopping center which
remained conceded d unchal-
lenged for years, and even to this
day there is probably not a town
between Jackson and Cairo or Nash
Vile and Hickman which will meas
ure the test with Union Cltyaf,v;
trading and shopping place. 80
is not merely Boosting. ~
ing what has been gensf ~
nized as a fact. TN
To-day we are agia
and in more thar. ~
these advancsdB., al
inception in Y.
dS " dhN - WWtdE
!. !" !; !: !: !
ehts. Now va ndN- sdctiSS
one-price town and with it ADV ?
tages which are readily understood.
The one-price system needs no de-
Tense. It is a reform resulting from
the natural and equitable adjust
ment OF values, and will be in gen.
eral use for long time unless the
trusts or combinations do not de-
stroy its effect.
The latest development is the
ambition of the merchants to pro-
vide comfortable nd convenient
quarters for their customers. The
he