The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1911-12-26
Running Of Small Store BY No
Means the Easy Thing II
May Seem.
HOURS LONG AND WORK HARD
Constant Gaze and Watchsuiress
Necessary to Build Up Business
That Is to Be Made Safe
From Possible Com
petition


shopkeeping seems so easy that there
is an impression one needs but 70
have a sum sufficient TO buy the first
stock Of merchandise to be on the
road to a fortune Leisure time In
the shop seems boon to the hard
working man or woman who has spent
his or her days at work at regular
hours"
To serve the customer. keep the
house clean and the stock in order ap-
pears q thing 50 simple that anybody
can do it.
This Is viewing the shop from the
outside The inside workings are quite
different In fact. to keep shop Is 10
be 'on watch all the time There is
70 such thing as being "of duty"
night or day The hours are from
early morning until late al night. The
close confinement is far from being
conducive to health, and last, but not
lcast. Is the constant. unremitting at
tention that every item in the shop de-
mands to make the business success.
II not carefully watched all the time
the stock grows old and must then be
sold at a loss II sold at al
Then there are the ever present
dust and dirt. that cause so much
work and loss TO the shopkeeper. Dust
down the shelves in the morning At
night they require dusting again The
floors must be scrubbed, the cases and
windows must be polished. When all
this elbow work Is done--interrupted
innumcrable times by the customers
comes the additional worry Of the gen
eral management
The door is kept swinging in and
out all the day long by the ubiquitous
drummer, who must be treated with
courtesy The exactlng hypercritical
customer, who demands the prices and
services Of shops ten times the size OF
this one, comes next The customer
who has an account has found what
she thinks to be mistake In her bill
and is furious at the thought that she
is being cheated"
These are all nerve racking fea-
turea which are new to the beginner
In the shopkeeping world
The constant worry over bills and
how to raise the money to meet all
obligations promptly grows to be a
nightmare to the conscientious shop
keeper
Credit must be maintained at any
cost and the skimping, the saving OF
pennies, Is strain unknown to the
person who has been in the habit OF
drawing weekly sum with which to
meet current expenses
The rent. always a menace to the
success OF a small shop, for II is ad
Iusted to the volume of business to a
uleety. fixed charges. such as light
heat, taxes and insurance &c
stesdily on and must be figured
These, with the help account. advertis
Ing and other minor expenses keeI
the shopkeeper on the run
The compensation Is TO be found In
he possibilities OF the future To be
your own boss Is eipher stepping
stone TO success or the runway to fall
ure
As no rule for success can be laid
down, so no absolute rule against fall
ure can be outlined In the battle
the big battle we must fight-each In
dlvidual must find the points Of Least
| resistance and take advantage Of an
portunty
The craven wished for magic blade
with which to fight; the prince found
the broken sword of common sol
dler and with It carved out the vic
tory