Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-14
MARKET STRATEGY.
WAYS to Get More + 0 I Your Money.

NTAsHINGTON, D., C.. Dec 1O:-optimstieally
wv speaking, the high price of food has per-
v formed one great service to the consumer.
1t has set the American ingenuity TO work in
venting means to combat it. During the past
year he has dabbled and experimental with many
things, including scientific cooking and prohibitions
sugaresS and meatess days; cooperation ana
caores; Indigestion, and the delivery of his own
groceries. All of which have taught him
thing two.
The American consumer knows more about
food today than he ever did before. He knows,
for example, that, although he belongs to the
flesh-eating order of Carnivora-GeOrge Bernard
Shaw to the contrary notwithstanding-hc VIII
survive meatless day. Physicians indeed, no
longer afraid of being blacklisted by the corner
grocer have come right out with the brutal
statement that Americans eat too much meat
The consumer also knows that death does not
follow sugar famine He can eat oleomargerine
in the place of butter if the latter costs too
much he skimp sweet potatoes in a
PINCH and he can cultivate a taste for left-overs.
But it can't be said that he enjoys doing it.
Thus, recently the consumer has been trying
another method. He has been studying the mar
keting game. The question with him as yet is
not how many of his favorite dishes he can do
without but by what. strategic maneuyers can
he buy them at lower cost? One method re-
sorted to by consumers in all sections OF the
country during the past year is cooperative buy
ing, which eliminates the retailers profit In a
small town in New York state, for instance, six
women have formed a cooperative club Tor the
purpose of buying wholesale groceries. One wom-
an buys a barrel of flour and divides it among
the other members of the club. The next wOm-
an buys twelve dozen eggs from farmer at
minimum cost and distributes those among the
other women. The third woman buys a case of
soup; the fourth woman a barrel OF sugar. the
fifth barrel of apples, the sixth woman
six hams from a pork products house
The sixth woman, of course, does not always
buy hams. Sometimes her purchase is canned
goods grape fruit or oranges. The fifth wom-
an also buys variety of products voted for by
fhn thor N1h mar 0hpTG
woman since the six families do not use bar
rel of sugar a month.
Every two weeks this club holds business
meeting. Each woman brings with her small
bank The members discuss the supplies they
will need for the next two weeks, consulting two
cataogs from mail order firms and the price lists
from various wholesale dealers They compare
these with the prevailing prices. One woman
suggests, for instance that one house is offer
ing a special reduction thirty pounds of
butter that will save each member a dollar on
the retail price. vote is taken; all the women
in favor of buying the butter, and each
puts her share of the expenses in the first womans
bank The next suggestion may deal with
great opportunity in canned peaches, or turnips, or
stuffed olives. Again a vote is taken, the in
dividual contributions placed in one wOmans bank,
to make. The flour, the eggs and the soup
bought regularly every month.
When the supplies arrive they are delivered
at the houses of the women who bought them,
share, That is, all the women go to Mrs. Jones
to get their flour, to Mrs. Smith for their eggs,
and to Mrs Brown for their soup. ia 80
This particular cooperative club has been eX-
tremely successful until the past few months
when shipments have been delayed that such
buying longer practical The women
had all known each other since they were chill
dren; they to be relied upon when it
to the matter of paying bills, and each member
had her equal share in the responsibility.
Unfortunately, the thing cannot be said
of all cooperative buying clubs There is no
complished in buying food in large quantities,
doubt but that a great reduction may be
but it is usually difficult to get the co-opera-
tion systematized. In this club the members
paid in advance for their supplies. Most people
are unwilling to do that Then too every wom-
an had to go after her share if she wanted
it, In most clubs the person who buys the
food distributes it else forgets to- and when
he does the people do not have the right change,
so that he must either be suspicious and carry
it home again, leave it and the risk
of being unwilling phianthropist.
Somebody is usually-to use fascinating idom
the goat. The club generally disbands with some
body with large supply Of material on hand
which he use, with his bank account, in
stead of the high cost of living, reduced with a
penal sentence hanging over his head for boarding,