West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1909-09-23
AID TO MERCHANTS.
Cooperative Delivery a Success
Wherever Rightly Tried.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS.

Thousand Would Prove Effective In
Places OF Other SiEos-Reduees Ex.
psnses and Losses From peadbeats.
ono method by which merchants may
reduce expenses and at tho samo time
Increase trade is by tho cooperative
delivery system. IL also furnishes a
protection against deadbcats. It has
been successful wherever tried on right
lines. To avoid complications drivers
should not DO allowed TO solicit orders.
though they may tako orders and de-
iver them TO tho flrm voluntarily die
tatcd 10y the customer. Tho concern
should not bo organized for profit, ana
certain taxes can bo avoided I'm most
states IL IL IL Incorporated as non.
money making company. It IL got
up by the merchants OF the town, oach
or whom phys n certain agreed rate
Tor the delivery OF packages. A slid
lug scale OF prices may bc agreed on
Tor packages OF different sizes and
character. In some towns the fiat rate
OF certain charge per month has been
tried, but is not so satisfactory as tho
charge per piece
To give the detailed workings OF tho
system IL IL well TO take n specific In
stance. have before me an Interview
published I'm the Illinois Retail MGR
chants Journal. which it takes from
another paper. but does not give the
name or this exchange nor that OF the
merchant interviewed. The city I'm
which the experiment is tried Is ono
OF about $1,000 Inhabitants. I quote
the most salient points In tho inter
view:
I'm starting II central delivery sys.
tenn the first thing TO do Is TO route
out your city and number each route.
About week before you open the cen.
trnl station give ench driver his route
ana have him call on cach customer
on his route. He can explain the pur-
pose or the system and lenve nj each
house copy of IA letter outlining the
entire plan. also route card. Have
him mark on the route card tho num-
Der OF the route the customer is on. 80
that In ordering goods the customer
can give the number OF the route and
address.
Our central station Is located I'm n
central part OF town. We have large
building. about SS by OS feet. and tho
wagons drive I'm one door and out an
other. They como In order-nrst No. 1,
ana No. 2. and so on. On one side of
the wall there is n large distributing
counter. There is n space for each
route oil this counter, aud each man
arrangcs the deliveries for his route
under the direction OF n superintend-
ent
I'VE make five deliveries n day, three
In the morning and two In the after
noon. We deliver about two miles In
each direction. and the routes are so
arranged that the driver delivers up
ono street and down another, so that
he works both ways. going out and
coming in.
Their frst trip I'm the morning Is to
the different stores. where they select
the goods for the FIRST delivery. These
orders are taken 10 tho central station
and distributed. and all wagons leave
there at the samo time. On their way
back to tho station they again cnil at
tho stores aud gather the orders for
the next trip.
This system is also helpful I'm keep
ing track OF 'deadbent' customers. If
you have n customer who owes you n
bill and then stops trading with you
and you cannot find out whero he Is
trnding. by going TO the central sta
ton you can ascertain what store the
goods are coming FROM And again,
you may have customers who refuse
TO pay for goods claiming they never
received them. If tho goods were do
liyered the superintendent eau in n
very few minutes produce the coupon
which was attached to the order show
Ing the date delivered. who delivered
IL nnd the number OF packages.
I'VE also have a lot OF outside de-
liveries for people not IN the company.
The revenue from this IS what we call
velvet
"Our system nets US a saving OF from
20 to 60 per cent as compared with the
old method Of delivering, and we would
not now do without II for anything"
While this experiment was tried In a
city OF 1900. there is no rcnsOn why
IL should not work equatly well I'm n
city or village OF almost any size. pro.
Vided. OF course, II IS large enough 10
require deliveries at all ~ might be
well TO add that the merchant giving
the above interview was himself the
mover In the matter OF starting the co.
operative delivery system in his town
Calling the other merchants together
he laid the matter before them. and n
committee was appointed TO invesu-
gate The report was favorable. and
the enterprise WIS started with TWEEN
ty-foUr members Firms having de-
livery wagons ana horses OF their own
put these IN on an agreed basis Other
wagons were bought, each firm con
tributlDg its share Tho effort was
success from the start
Cooperation IS absolutely essential
IN building up n town or in winning
trade. 10 IS the most effective method
Of lighting catalogue houses. II IS the
cooperation OF merchants I'm com
mercial club or some kindred organiza-
ton that Is the secret OF the growth
and advancement Of 50 many Ameri.
can cities This system Of cooperative
deliveries II but another feature OF
tho same work
IA. EDGERTON