The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-06-25
T
BASKERVILLE, VA.

Bello and TorO Point. In these stores
goods are sold in exchange for gu
pons. which can be procured by en-
ployes from their umekeepers or from
the officers Of the government and
Panama railway on invoices YOU
can buy nothing in the stores except
with upo a twenty -dolllr gold
piece would not buy a paper Of pms.
nor d ten-dollar bill a lead pencil.
The system is all arranged on the
coupon basis. n one must carry his
coupon book to the store and let ths
clerk take out the checks which rep
resent the amount OF his ~purrhasa.
these checks range in denomination
from 81 to | cent. So that anything
can be exactly paid for. The bus,.
ness Is lone after a rigid accountin.
system. Cash registers are employed
and the salesman makes out a sales
ship for each purchase.
The goods are taken to the stores on
the cars from Cristobai. and there il
q special refrigerator train every
morning which has eleven cars filled
with meats. ice and perishAble goods.
and ten other cars loaded with other
goods. This train starts at 40
every morning, and it is the one train
Which is always on time.
In addition to the goods sold in the
stores, there is a big mail order busi-
ness. Messengers go around every
day to the homes of the employees and
taKe their orders. receiving coupons
therefor. These are sent into tho
central offices and the goods are
brought back the next day. All tho
bread is delivered at the houses. and
II is so or the ice. meats and groceries
n wagOns OF the Quartermaster
come to the cold storage train. and tho
h~ouSekeeper has her supplies even
more regularly and more quickly than
| in tho G atoo NEa%NL~~A i; -~.. 60
delivery.
In the Cristobal Commissary.
You may be Interested in seeing ono
OF the local stores. Take tina here 1T
Cristobal. 1t is situated on a corner
In the heart OF the town. 1t is about
LOO feet front by 200 feet deep. GOV
ering all told almost half an acre. En-
tering. you find yourself in an estab-
lishm~nt much like q department.
store. h room Is filled with shelves
and counters. divided up INTO depart
nents. and each is devoted to ono
kind OF goods. Here there is no.
thing but hardware. over there Ar.
glassware and china, and farther on
are shelves filled with dry goods and
notions. There Is n departNlenc
for cigars and tobacco, another for
drugs. and a third for meats and
groceries. The meat branch has \
cold storage in which three or
four butchers are kept busy cutting
roasts, chops and steaks for the cus-
toners. Here everything is sanitary.
The meat is wrapped up in the cold
storage chamber and handed out
through a slot.
, The stores are thoroughly organ
lied. Each mas its white manage
and its" white assistant ~storekeeper.
h clerks are mostly West In
dams. because they are cheaper than
whites receiving only from $25 10 80
! per month.
l would say that I have p~atronized
these stores a great deal during my
F, stay on the isthmus Through ths
cOmmissary | have been able to buy
: one OF the books. and have made my
. purchases with the 1 find
the prices much lower than those II
the local Panama establishments and
in many cases they are as cheap and
f. cheaper than at home. There IL no
a question as to the prices. for tn,
government publishes a full price list
every week or SO. and one can tell
!, JUS. what anything and everything
costs.
, DRY GOODS