Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1917-08-17

will buy package OF ten-cent cereal and
| expect it delivered She will rarely think
OF carrying half dozen rolls, though she is
on her way home.
| As matter of fact, the merchant
does not often want her to carry her pack
ages. His promptness and willingness to
serve her irregular and careless habits of
buying is one of the ways he builds up
Goodwill. Our canny merchants err in
spelling customers in gratifying whims,
in fetching and carrying for them until a
woman has come to feel sometimes that
II she offers to carry bundle she will be
classed as an undesirable customer.
| The great necessity on us demands a
prompt, vigorous cutting out of the waste
In all delivery OF foods. | have spoken
here only Of food products. but we all know
that what has been said applies equally to
all sorts Of shopping, and particularly to
department stores. The report of the Com
mercial Economy Board declares that in
our great cities the cost to the department
store Of delivering packages Is from eight
to twenty-five cents apiece. II Is no I'M
common thing for the cost of delivering an
article TO exceed the cost OF the article,
and probably one-half Of the daily pur-
chases Of a department store might be
carried home by the women themselves.
| How Is all this vast, unnecessary use OF
men and horses and trucks and money and
time to be cut out and the delivery sys-
TEN put on rational basis where il is
strictly confined to what is necessary.
There are not a few towns in the coun-
try where II has already been put on such
a basis by cooperative deliveries. Ann
| Arbor, Michigan. has had such deliveries
conducted by Its merchants for eight years.
Formerly it took seventy WAGONS to carry
home the daily buyings Of the people now
II takes but eighteen. In other towns there
has been saving in cost Of from 25 to rs
per cent.
Wherever cooperative delivery has
been well managed the average saving
has been aroused so per cent.
OF course this means a reform in the
method Of ordering. One delivery day
Is all that ought to be expected under
present conditions. II a woman knows
that is all she will get she will quickly
and easily reform her ways-or carry her
extra bundles.
The Womans Committee OF the Council
Of National Defense firmly believes that
all that II Is necessary TO do today to
secure hearty and prompt cooperation
from women In carrying out such savings
as this that their fellow-committee on the
Council Of National Defense has demon
strated TO be possible is to let them know
that that it Is asked. II urges women
everywhere to aid in the reform. They
can very promptly encourage their mer-
chants to establish central or cooperative
deliveries, and call on them to limit their
deliveries to not over one day on each
route. cutting out accommodation deliV-
cries altogether. They can discipline them
selves to regular and thoughtful ordering.
They can carry small packages. They can
discontinue the wasteful practice Of hav-
ing goods sent home ION approval, which
nearly always means waste effort In de-
livery as we'll as extra charges within the
stores. A certain department store. with
| total annual sales Of 5000 900. returned
goods amount TO 20 per cent. involving a
waste OF more than $500 annually.