West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1909-12-23
FOR TRADE At HOME
Things That Lead to Success
In Country Stores.
INDIVIDUALITY is A FACTOR.

Small Merchant Who Depends Upon
Others 10 Run His Business viii
Prove a Failuro--ouestion OF puyino
Stock Important
After all, individuality counts I'm
business as I'm other things. System
Is necessary. rs are all the mechanical
aids, but above and beyond these sue.
cess or failure depends ON the man.
The personal equation cannot bo neg
lcctcd. Mere rules will never take
the place OF the character. manner.
method. charm, magnetism and init.
mate touch with customers that bo.
long TO tho merchant himself. This is
true even OF the great department.
stores OF tho cities. One man sue.
coeds. while another fails yet their
outer methods, the mere machinery
or their business, arc not largely dlf.
fcrcnt, at least SO far MS appearances
so. lt In tho animuting spirit. tho soul
behind the machine. that lu the last
analysis Is the determining factor.
| There arc frequent little turning points
In business as well as I'm n nation
where n slight change OF direction. n
feathers weight I'm the scales may bc
decisive. IL is here that the individual
counts. Emerson has said that an I'm.
stitutIon is "thc heightened shadow
OF man." aud II Is equally true that
n business concern reflects the nature
OF some dominant personality. This is
especially true OF the village or coun.
try store. In II the merchant comes
into personal touch with his customers;
he buys goods, arranges the stock, d-
rccts tho advertising aud shapes his
business In hundred ways. His splr-
IL animatcs II. He alone IL the nrbitcr
or it's fate. IIo determines its success
or failure.
In the last analysis the winning OF
home trade depends on the individual
merchant. There are certain general
rules that can be- laid down, certain
methods that can be outlined, certain
suggestions that can be made but be-
yoDd these the merchant himself is
the trade winner and trade holder III
he has the knack OF Il, the know of it,
he will win I'm spite OF catalogue
houses, city compete N. rivals I'm busl-
ness and all other obstacles. His en-
ergy, his methods OF buying, OF cutting
corners, of keeping accounts, OF dis
playing goods, OF Advertising OF toll
Ing his customers the truth. OF win.
ming their confidence and friendship.
OF selling and buying for cash or as
nearly so rs posslble-all these things
and many more that are peculiarly his
own Will determine what sort OF n
business lac builds up and maintains
This line of thought was suggested
by sentence from an address OF Med
ford Walls OF Church Iill, Md, on
"How to Conduct Country Store"
Mr.. Walls deals with his subject in
such sensible manner that his talk
is commented on and largely quoted
by James @. Henry I'm the Cleveland
Leader. Hero is the sentence that
struck my own eye:
Back OF all rules that may be laid
down there must be n certain individ-
uality, and so far as my observation
goes 1 find II true that the man who
docs not run his own business, but
leaves II solely I'm the hands OF his
clerks, will either not make n success
or else will soon have none TO run"
The clerk I'm the big department
store is. for the vast majority, the
only point OF contact that Is had with
"thc powers that be-" And likewise
in the country store the clerk is sec
ond In importance only TO the pro.
prietor. For this reason Mr.. Walls
insists that the small merchant should
have "as experienced and capable help
as the business Will justify"
And the practice once upon time
so largely In vogue OF exaggeratlng
70 gf IL fu God
TO the past, along with haphazard and
uncouth arrangement OF the stock.
Modern store fixtures. with their ac-
companying cleanliness, have replaced
the former, or should and 1T Is bet
ter 90 miss n sale than 10 have a Gus.
toner tell us We have mlsrepresent.
cd" Is now the rule OF business OF the
successful merchant, whether his
store IS a ten story building or sin
gle room at "the crossroads"
In his advice Mr.. Walls lays en-.
phasls on the question OF buying.
which by some IS said TO bc Of more
Importance than being able 90 sell.
He says: I'VE will never be able to
buy 20 the best advantage until we
have established reputation for pay
ments"
Another condition which the new"
country merchant has completely
overturned IS the matter Of credit.
His prototype almost without exccp-
ton followed tho UNLIMITED plan.
Six months was probably the average
time before John Smith" would set.
tlo his account, or Il might be year
But this was not business according
TO tho modern meaning OF the term
"a customer ought not 20 expect &C."
says Mr.. Walls.
Advising the country merchant 10
advertise literally. Mr Walls declares
/ that the time has come whom nc must
/ follow out some system in keeping
count OF his expenses and profits. 10
IS as much n part OF the new era as
IS the discarding Of the "frec lunch"
/ cracker barrel
This system OF keeping account OF
everything that has 10 do with the
business and being able 10 lay ones
finger on any detail. however trivial
/ 10 may seem at first sight. is one Of
| the koynotes of "uow 20 Conduct a
/ Country Store Successfully"
JAMES A. EDGERTON