The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-11-09
FOOD ADMINISTRATION
RETAIL PRICES

traitor for Montana)
BY proclamation of the president
of the United States and under the
authority given him by congress-, all
wholesale dealers in certain specified
food products and retailers whose
gross sales aggregate 100000 per
year, or over, came under the Fed
eral License November first. As a
large percentage of the retailers will
not be licensed under these regula-
lions because of the fact that their
volume of sales does not aggregate
500 1000, the question is frequently
being asked as to what steps are
being taken in relation to these retail
ers.
For some time the "Fair Price"
committee has been studying the
question of retail prices in different
sections of the country. When these
studies have been carried far enough,
general information will be sent out
on the price of commodities in diff
ferent sections of the country. It is
expected that wholesale and retail
prices will be announced so that the
public may have an idea of the rela-
ton of the two. Naturally there will
be agitation for a reduction in the
profits which retailers appear to be
getting, and, no doubt, there will be
many cases where such reductions
ought to be made: However, the buy
ing public will do we'll to remember
that they, themselves, have imposed
certain demands on the retailer, and
in the meeting of these demands the
overhead charge of business has been
greatly increased.
Amongst the public demands has
been n for very frequent delivery
of goods. In delivery about town,
the average delivery wagon makes
many of the streets four and five
times a day. Too frequently the
housewife makes no attempt to tele-
phone her complete order for the day
and goes to the phone and puts in
later orders with the request that the
stuff be delivered. Very naturally
the accommodating merchant has in
creased his delivery facilities until
this item has become quite a serious
one in the cost of doing business.
The housewives can make possible the
reduction in the retail charges if they
will very carefully include all of their
needs in the days order when it is
given so that mi delivery may be all
that will be necessary in any day to
any one home. Homes in the country
are not favored with one delivery a
day even, and so must arrange, their
buying so that they will have the
needed supplies when they make their
weekly trip to town.
In this connection the buying public
might reduce the necessary delivery
by deciding to carry their WI small
packages. Unfortunately there has
grown up an opinion that it will be
regarded unfavorably if we are seen
carrying packages on the street. Dur
ing the present crisis, when there is
a demand for maximum efficiency, to
be seer carrying a package ought to
be regarded as a mark of honor and
cooperation, and we ought to be
governed by the slogan, "Carry
Home Your Own Packages" An
other unnecessary extravaganza which
has grown up in the retail trade,
especially in food products, is the
habit of wrapping all kinds Of pack
age goods. Many commodities are
sold in strong packages and yet the
buying public expects these to be
wrapped. Such wrapping costs money
in labor, paper and in string, and
these latter commodities are rapidly
advancing in cost. Ask your merch-
ant to send package goods without
further wrapping.
The food administration is going
to make every reasonable effort to
reduce improper and abnormal war
profits to any one. The buying pub
lie get most of their supplies through
the retailer and this buying public
can cooperate with the retailer in
reducing his prices if they will make
it possible for him to eliminate as
much as possible, of the unnecessary
overhead. The slogans, "Not More
Than One Delivery a Day." "Carry
Home Your Own Packages Whenever
Possible" "Do Not Wrap Package
Goods and any other suitable phras-
es, will eliminate some of the over
head expenses which have become such
a factor in the cost of retail goods.