The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-04
BUSINESS EFFICIENCY
BY H. ]. Barrett.

Much has been said and written
about the advance in efficiency as re-
CARDS manufacturing" remarked an
expert. But, at the same time. great
strides have been taken in retailing.
only recently | was inspecting the
system employed in a retail shoe store.
which had been introduced by the
manufacturer from whom the owner
buys. Because of the nature of the
product handled. more exact results
can be attained in store of this char
acter than in most lines. There Is no
waste In the shape of over-lengths
long-weights, shortage from petty pill
fcring or from the other items which
plague the grocer or dry goods man.
"On the other hand. of late years
style has become an increasingly i'm
portant factor in the shoe business
particularly in women's shoes, with
the result that unless the proprietor
exerts great caution he may find him.
self loaded with out Of date goods at
the seasons end.
The basis of this dealers system Is
binder full of properly ruled sheets.
one sheet for every model or style
number. In allotting lyle numbers. he
begins at one and runs up, l. 3, 3. 4, 5,
6. ETC., as high as the variety Of his
stock cOmpels. At the top of the sheet
are spaces covering amounts. dates of
arrival and costs Of shipments also
for amounts sold, when and at what
price, and other data. Below this Is
the usual checked board. rulel at the
left for widths and at the top for sizes,
one square for each side and width.
When a pair Of certain size is or
dered, this man indicates the fact by
entering dot In the proper square.
When 1t arrives. with Il stroke of u
pen he converts this dot into a vertical
line, and. when it is sold, draws a line
through it, making a cross.
Daily knowledge of what is ordered,
what has arrived in the receiving room.
and what has been sold is all that is
required to keep this system up to the
minute 1t may require an hour a day
of the bookkeeper's time. When the
merchant takes his annual inventory
he starts a new set of sheets. entering
in red ink all stock carried over from
a previous season.
Now then, just what does this sys-
tenn supply: 1t presents a graphic pic
ture of what is taking place in the
store. not merely as regards Gross
sales but as regards each model or
style number. The merchant can turn
the leaves of this binder and note Just
what shoes are selling slowly. II is
then simple matter to offer the clerks
an extra commission for pushing these
particular items. If shoe is a quick
seller. he can see how fast 1t Sells
thus enabling him to decide how large
fill-in order to place when it is nee
essary to replenish. Still further, when
he goes to market he can in some de-
gree depend upon this record in plac-
ing orders for the new season. And
last but not least, an analysis of tho
sheets as a whole tells him what sizes
are demanded by his trade.
THE plan acts as a perpetual in
ventory, a valuable factor in securing
credit from ones banker or from a
manufacturer and that it is practic-
able is evidenced by the fact that thi3]
merchants foOtings from sheets vary
from his actual physical inventory only
Sc or IS each year.
Some such method should be in eff.
feet In every retail store. OF course.
the hardware mans problem differs
from the shoe mans and the butchers
from the shoe mans. but the principle
Is sound for all merchants"