The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-06-09

The April, 1914. number Of Ire De-
partment Store, a national monthly
magazine devoted to efficiency for buy
ers. statesmen and executives of de-
partment stores, contains an inter
esting historical story of the rapid and
substantial growth of a young mar in
the commercial world. The article
derful chain of 70 stores which are
located in all parts of the country.
The Golden Rule Mercantile COM
pany opened a store in this city a few
months ago which has enjoyed a lib
eral patronage and the local manager
this morning said that business is
continually getting better. He accords
this to the excellent location of Far
go as a commercial center; the people
Of Fargo and Moorhead and vicinity;
the location of his store on growing
North Broadway, and his merchandise
n the store service.
The article which appeared in h
Department Store follows:
Twelve years ago a young man,
named James C. Penney, rented a
store, forty-five feet deep, with a
frontage of twenty-four feet on the
main street of Kammerer, wyoming.
Over the door he hung a sign which
read 1.-The Golden Rule Store" A few
DAYS ago he and his thirty buyers
completed purchases in New York ag-
gregating a million dollars. The stock
will go on the shelves of seventy Gold
en- Rule stores scattered over thirteen
states in the Rocky mountain section
of the west.
The little shop in Kammerer took in
$780, 900 during it's first veal Last year
the Golden Rule chain did a business
OF SO, 900, 900. All this growth in
twelve years, and yet none OF these
o,.s is in a large city and none of
them has a fashionable trade. They
boast no beautiful show windows ana
their advertising is don on a modest
scale. The secret behind their growth
is not to be found in any of the trade
methods used by the big city stores
They have thrived on the Simplest
sanest merchandising principles.
The story Of the Golden Rule chain
is at once a lesson and an 1nsplratlon
for all merchants. Department store
men who live in fear of the chain store
can well take heed of Mr.. Penney's
methods. The chain store. when passes
it's appeal upon the cry, "From MAKER
to User" has little in common with the
department store. It is largely a man
u~facturing proposition. But the Gold
en- Rule stores are not a by-produc1
of a factory. They buy In the same
| field as the department store ano
| their problems, in part, at least, are
the same. Their story is the Whole
history Of the coming OF the cha1n
store. If such stores are to take trade
from the big city establishments IL pc
hooves department store men 10 sIuuS
them. Their phenomenal growth SHOWS
that they fulfill a demand mace by tne
| people. Every reason Tor the success
1-.- zA@-4r ic contained IN Inc
story Of the Golden u organlza-
| ton. -,
One word sums up the rise OF tht
| firm that started so humbly twelve
years ago. That. word is MEN. Nc
ever took charge Of a Golden Rule stort
who had not been tried in the hart
school of selling from behlnd the coun
ter. The men at the heaa Oh eve eve
link in the chain at one time Walte'
on customers themselves.
They are real statesmen frst-eVery
thing else afterwards.
But this aloneIdoes not account 10
the trailing of the chain over thlftee'
states. Behind these men are IN
right goods. No customer OF a Code
Rule store was ever ''stung." unoe
the laws that govern the organ1zatlo
this would be impossible. Eacn I
the thirty buyers who recently scour
ed New YORK Guy LOT Ile1
orders never to sacrifice quality 10
cheapness. While low prices rule !
the stores, a two-dollar ma Is al
ways worth two dollars.
The Penney stores are located ]
towns Of from 1000 to 10000 popula
: ton and, widely scattered as the
are. there is a great variation IN IN
demands Of their separate fields. TIL
adds to the difficulty of the buyin
problem, but it has been worked OF
satisfactorily. Twice a year the thirt
buyers go to New York, where
permanent office is maintained. The
are divided into six committees wit
an experienced man at the head
each.
The trips of the Golden Rule buyer
to the metropolis are no pleasul
jaunts. The committees start Wor
at 8 in the morning and spend the en-
tire day visiting the trade. They re
turn in time for dinner which pre-
cedes a meeting at 1880. h tn
results of the days work are discuss
ed and plans made for the next in
~vasion Of the wholesale district.
Naturally, every members or eac
committee Is not an experienced buy
er in all lines, but under this syster
the younger men learn quickly frol
those who have been in the game fo
Years. Given q few trips to New Yor