The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-18
DELIVERY WAGONS
MULTIPLY FAST
YEAR 1919 NOTED FOR PRO-
GREss ALONG THESE
LINES.
RETAILERS WAKE UP
FACTS AND FIGURES SHOW HOW
MOTOR CARS DIsPLACE
HORSES IN Busr-
NESS.

In motoring history, 1912 Is going
to be recorded as the year in which
the retail merchant woke up,
The American storekeeper has been
hard nut for the automobile sales
man to crack. He was skeptical on
expense and on reliability of motor
car delivery. He was prone to de-
lmand facts and figures. These not
forthcoming, he decided TO let some-
body else try II first. Also. he want
ed to buy when he should reach
favorable opinion from some one ne
knew In business way.
When, along with other prominent
manufacturers, the Studebaker cor
poratson brought out its first delivery
cars for the 1912 market due defer
ence had been paid existing eondi-
tons 5tudebakef statesmen went
out. instructed to show the man that
the car would help him,
Leave a. couple of your horse
Drawn wagons In the barn today,
veil do the work" was the >lsto-
mary opening. and the salesman saw
to Il that the merchant kept track
OF the expense and the results.
/ Almost always. demonstration
iof this kind brought forth an order
For one car. At the request OF the
salesman, the merchant kept track OF
his motor delivery cost. After the
car had been In use for number OF
months, the salesman called and had
the merchant summarize the result
of his experiment. As rule. he cele-
erated the second visit as well by
selling one or mere Studebaker zee
delivery wagons.
Thousands OF these cars are now
IN use all over the country. The ex-
perience OF their owners is, to great
extent. ON file at the Studehaker cor
i,oratton's Offices In Detroit. Many Of
tho letters are Intensely interesting.
They have come from grocers. laun-
dries. dry cleaners, clothing firms,
miiiiners, bakeries, caterers, butch
ers. drygoods firms and great va
Ariaty of other lines. Automobile ac-
.sSessorss houses ara largely represent
cd. One OF the most thorough and
successful experiments was that made
lin Salt Lake by the Zion Cooperative
Mercantile Institution, Of which Jo-
seph f. Smith IL president
7 The most striking feature OF these
letters Is their statistical result Each
of the Studebaker .t20" delivery wag-
ons Is called on for an average days
work % forty-tive mics, The cost OF
supplies il almost invariably from
six to eight dollars month. Tires
average from ! 1000 to 5.oe0 miles
A gallon OF labricating OF! lasts for
from 300 to 500 miles, and a gallon
LOT gasoline is good Tor about seven
teen miles, the moteF being kept run
ming continuously at nearly all stops
Az general rufe. earh delivery
wagon supplants two horse-drawn
rigs, though in many cases this num-
her Il increased TO three. The rela-
Tive expense of the motor wagon Is
lalmost exactly half that Of the horses.
according to the testimony OF each
merchant.
Aside from the advantage OF econ
omr, in which the merchants all
agree. it Ia Interesting to note the
various features In which the motor
.aeiivery wagon has appealed to the
different men. Enlargement of scope
was prominent merit to many. A
California lanndryman established
routes to neighborsnE towns and
doubled his receipts by use of n
wagon. A baker likes his because
Ipies and cakes ride easily and reach
1.-THE customer in good shape. A gro
Icer is delighted at the absence of
lbreakage OF bottles and eggs, COM
lpared with his horse-drawn delivery
days A butcher is tick!ed because
Ihis Studehaker "a0'' hasn't run away
lor smashed anything. as his horses
ibid every now and then A commits
sion man Gestures the speed OF his
car, which enables him to fill hurry
up orders and get the goods to the
point desired in a fraction OF the
time this horses used to need A
ldry cleaner says his wagon is invaiu-
liable for its advertising help
Many Of the first orders developed
into repeats" some Of the mer-
lchants admitting themselves ccnviac-
led that their delivery problems had
been solved Even In cases where the
purchaser of car found that 1t sup
piled all of his needs, this car has
given leverage for the sale of
iothers.
The cumulative effect of all this
experimenting Is. according TO Han
son Robinson of the Stude6aker cor
poration. going 20 make the light de-
Ylasery wagon 8 tremendous sorce.sn
1913.