Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-06-24

cost of distribution and helps to COM
pat the high cost of living. which
threatens to engulf us all"
Profits Never smaller.
Never in all my years of exper-
fence have the profits of the gru,elp
store been so small as they are to-
day. said Mr.. Sweeney. Many people
will tell you that present high prices
are helped along by the exorbtant
profits of the retailers. Well. | wish
they could see my cost sheets--that's
all I've TO say on the subject"
Conservation of material and of
equipment thinks Mr.. Sweeney. ans,
has beneficial effect in lowering
the cost = distribution and should
be taken into consideration by the
housewife anxious to do her duty
while the world demands it.
In the communication from the ma
tional defense board asking the bakers
of Tulsa to discontinue the custom
of accepting n return of stale bread,
particular mention was made of the
wasted time and labor and the fact
that such labor and time efficiently
employed would help keep down the
price of bread as ii scared In the wake
of wheat Mr. Sweeney says that the
same law applies to returned grocer
les many of which are returned from
lack Of observation-disclosures on the part
OF the purchaser. Frequently ma
terials returned represent sheer loss,
as II cannot be resold
mo loss" said Mr.. Sweeney, ever
vanished into the air Someone has
to stand It. And the housewife who
INDUCES in such practice or who thru
lack of good management, takes up
her own, her grocer's and the tele-
phone operators time with piece
meal orders is not helping in gem
eral scheme of conservation"
Wants to Know Customers
Mr., Sweeney said that like Thoreou.
he found that those whom he disliKeo
most were always those whom he
knew the least. and that the great
problem of the large retailer was t
bridge the chasm between the pro-
prietor and the customer-a hard
thing to do in big store when the
proprietor was separated from his
customer by the telephone operator
who takes the order, the auditor who
checks 1t. the clerk who wraps It, the
shipping clerk who sends 1t out and
the delivery man who delivers IL.
mat however. is the proprietor's own
problem and he must solve II if he Is
to be n success.
Explaining his delivery scheouie.
he told of methods by which CUSTOM
ers might help him to their own bene-
fit. At 1890 a. IN. he stops taking
orders for delivery that morning and
from that time until 1870 his clerks
check up and get ready for the mex
delivery at 1870.
This method" said Mr.. Sweeneg
gives us chance to clean things
up in an efficient and business-likc
manner. and because we can so sys-
tematize our work, eliminate
mistakes that could no possibly be
avoided if we went all dav at pell nell
rate. AS matter OF fact this two-
hour service method of ours is much
quicker than is given in most cities
of this class.
"In the matter Of collections" said
Mr.. Sweeney lots of retail dealer
are either eliminating their credits
entirely, or curtailing the unlmiteu
credits which were in vogue anon"
the ldfashioned grocers. Our rule
now is 20 require payments to be
made between the first and the tenth
of the month-which is exactly, ana
no more. what is asked by every pub
lie service company in the United
States. And it's more grace than tho
banker allows, by ten days"
Sticks To Service"
To combat soaring prices ana To
practice conservation to the utmost
is the duty of everyone, thinks Mr.
Sweeney. hut he does not believe IN
starting the chain backward by cut
ting off the service which all Ameri-
cans have grown so used to, or by
Gripping business. This leaves the
cnly solution in a method which will
eliminate waste in every line. and IL
Is not a way that can be run by guess
work or lax credit systems That
every other large business in the
world has been built on this system;
no other one is possible.
Mr.. Sweeney laughed and said that
there were only eight or nine million
aire grocers in the world and that
the reason for their scarcity was
probably because the corner grocery
store methods had prevailed so long.
Mutual obligation, scrupulously OBJ
served" said Mr.. Sweeney, ''is the KEY
to success and happiness and doesn't
make any difference whether you are
dealing In groceries. finances or in
friendships. No other way is pos
sible."