The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-07-01
GOODS THAT DON'T
STAY PURCHASER
What II Means to Stores and n
Public to Have Customers Not
Keep Faith.

! The executive OF large department
store in the city received a very indigo
nant letter the other day from a GUS
TONER IN which she wanted the store. \
to put stop to the deluge of c. o. q.
articles sent to her which she had not
bought She stated that for several
days there were wagons from all the
stores in the city driving up to her /
door to deliver packages ranging FROM
tooth brushes to brass bedsteads. IN I
her letter of protest she alone was this
agrieved party, and she took no ac.S
count of the fact that the store was
under considerable expense in making ],
those deliveries and was just as anxi-
icausing the trouble But the-pro biem
she laid before the store manager was
to find SOME enemy Of hers who waa
taking this means to annoy her Ard
that enemy according to the mana-fs
ger probably never viewed her action 1
from the standpoint of larceny or the b
theft Of fairly large sums from tha
stores she had hoodwinked
/ A similar laXity OF conscience on the
part of other women when it comes
TO ordering goods they have no inten-
ton of taking puts the percentage OF
returns on c. o. d. packages at from
25 10 80 per cent in the local stores.
The return of such packages is the
most serious phase of the returned
goods evil against which n campaign
has now been launched as a part iofs
the national program to eliminate
waste during the war, Outside tho
business the problem IL broadly con-
sidercd, but on the inside the matter
is viewed in its specific phases. For
instance, failure TO effect delivery on
the first trips Of an article bought and
paid for is not so serious matter as
= Ea 81 st,say Il 4
proval, for the reason that the first
sale is really sale and the goods will
be taken by the customer. and in the
second case there was no sale hut
Eonly the chance of the article being
bought ~
The retail store owners expect good4
results TO follow the entry OF the gov4ss
eminent into the lists for them, and it
lis quite certain that, when they get
down to the business OF eliminating
the practice Of returned goods. their
first attention will he given to- tbs
merchandise sent back under the c. q. /,
d. system.
Deliveries of c. o. d. purchases are
especially expensive. first because Of
the large percentage of goods that |
don't stay sold. and secondly. because
three trips are made With each pack
rage before the attempt Is given up to
put IL in the hands of the customer. i
Z f'ifsr1t requires flle services of a sales
woman TO make the sale. The article
is then passed on 10 the wrapper and
goes from her 20 the sorter - The
checker must then debit the driver
with the price of the goods and the
idriver takes up the package and puts
I It III its proper place for his route.
Delivery is then made If the Gus
toner has changed her mind about
taking what she purchased. the article
mus; be carried back. put into the
rrf
ped and forwarded to, Where IL start
ed out. In case the customer is not
at home or has not the money handy
10 pay for what she bought. the pack
age goes back with the drivers notA
TO that effect. and starts on a second
trip through the return to stock de-
partment to the sorter, the checkers
the delivery sorting and the wagon.
with a second delivery label on IL
once again the process may fail ana
another trial is made before the ef-
fort to make IL stay sold is complies
ed, Meanwhile, TO keep a true record
OF sales, the auditing department OF
1.-THE store ia keeping track of the OUT
goingS and incomings of the article.
Inc expense of this modern process
lof merchandising should be enough to
put store owner or executive in ~
thrown study when the customer. faka
ing advantage of the service is doln3
so with alt honest intentions But
what really touches a sore spot with
1.-THE merchants is the large number Or
women who have formed the shopping .
habit. buying anything and everything
with no purpose in the world OF acr
tcenting their purchases when thew are
delivered. A store executive with
whom the matter was discussed drew
out a report for one week showing
that 664 packages had been deliyeredti
10 persons unknown at the addressesj
Igiven. He was firmly convinced thai.
"a large majority of these names and
addresses had been faxed by women.
who merely shopped for the pleasure
1T gave them. With this report hA
also showed a number of sales slips
made out for one woman who. In the
words of an experienced driver. never
took nothing s
Then there was, the case that cau96
indirectly to the ears of the store man
lager OF a women who met friend
she had not seen for quite some time
She was married. and wished to create
the impression that her husband was
not only kind in every way hut -
fairly good provider. so she took her
friend around White she bought a few
Itrif1es, such as a $25 waist. $l$
parasel. etc. And the friend was ian4
I pressed, and it cost her nothing but
a few words to the delivery man
about changing her mind about TAXI
ling these things
The abuse of C o. 4. sales has n1adAa
III necessary for the depa rtment stores
to load up their prices in the sauna
way as the insurance companies must
lido in order to get along. ALI Insurance.
companies operate on the same actu~
larry system. and the only differences n
1.-THE premiums they must ask Is In the
expense of selling insurance and keNp~
ling accounts. The loading up'. az
the premium price must meet thAe4
Iexpenses. the basis for all insurane3s
being the same. The departm4nEs
lstores. in the same way must "lo44@
up their prices to take care Of ~ n
ftheir expenses. S&1
y Under the present order Of fhin9n
SAID department store manager. .stlS3
} honest customer has TO bear IN m (
necessary burden OF expense dr. $
|others not 20 honest ahusink the oee1
lIeges extended TO them. II ~ a.
teliminatN these expe9smNG sklaexGsN
lhs 81 imyne1 iate ~
/ t1oHIn 11ssss3