The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-19
ARE SELLING The
GOODS TOO CHEAP
This Ii Said to Work Against heiorihs
In Business Now Deemed
Necessary,

In Business Now Deemed
Necessary
The retail drv goods stores OF the
kountry cannot hope for real co-opera-
ton on the part of consumers In re-
ducing the present high expense OF
doiur business so long as they keep
sellinv goods below their present re-
placement cost, according to a local
business man who has made careful
study Of current conditions. Nor can
they hope for this cooperation, which
has been requested by the commercial
economy board of the council or ma
tional defense. unless they impress
upon the public that an era OF the
highest prices, especially on yard
goods. since the Civil war days is at
hand.
Until the retailers do this, the man
in question asserted yesterday. 1t will
be difficult for them to convince many
OF their customers that they should
stop abusing the returned goods pri-
vlege and stop demanding unreason-
able delivery service, both OF which
increase the stores cost of doing husi-
mess and which, as a result of this.
increase the cost OF the merchandise
70 the consumer.
-One thing that has kept the aver
hxe consumer skeptical when prsdic-
kions have been made about the com
ing OF higher prices" he went on, is
the fact that many retailers In vari-
Gus parts OF the countrY-espectally
the larger ones-still have merchan-
disc In stock that they bought at
prices lower than the mills are quot
1ng today These stores arc still let
ting this merchandise out Mt prices
based on the old buying costs. unmind =
full of the fact that a day OF reckon
ing Is to come
The effect is that the consumers
who buy the goods at the old figures
laugh up their sleeve when the stores
that sell them ask for cooperation on
the part OF the purchasers in order TO
keep prices down. The question that
naturally arises in the minds OF the
latter is this: why should we put our
selves out to keep prices down when
they have not gone up2
What real chance has any retailer
OF getting the desired help in tnis
matter--which. by the way. Is really
necessary II many things are TO he
kept within the reach of the persons
who are only moderately well off a.
nancially--if the consumer assumes
that at,itudee And how can the re-
taller correct that attitude by adyer-
Using or other propaganda II he goes
on selling his low priced stock at the
old prices And there is this to he
rera@ III hered by the retailer who comes
in this category--that in selling the
merchandise in question al too low
prices he not only is piling UP trouble
for himself when he can do 1t no long
er. but he is putting a heavy burden
on other retailers who are not so for
tunate as he in owning low-priced
goods. White the latter point may
not make him see the light the
sight OF the moose into which he is
putting his own head should do
TT Is indeed "A backward F@tatter
who does not recognize where Tho
present trend of prices in the whole
sale markets fs going to bring him.
But. on the other hand. It IL a more
than ordinary well-informed consumer
who knows this. The reason is that
the average retailer has not played
It up strongly enough In his adver-
tisements. Announcements of this sort
have been more or less sporadic 80 far.
and. for the most part, they have
been vague. And this in spite OF the
fact that there are number Of
things that can be told with a great
deal more benefit than detriuent to
khe retailer.
For instance, many women have
by this time learned from experience
that It is practically impossible 10 get
an all-linen tablecloth AZ anything
like the price that prevailed before
the war. and that even union goods
part linen and part cotton--cost more
at retail than all-linen ones used to.
But how many women knew that
nicely finished. Affection tahlecloth
costs more now at wholesale in some
cases than an ali-linen one did three
years ago? An illustration OF this
Is An instance where. of necessity,
nne ail-iinen damask that formerly
wholesaled at sixty-seven and one-half
70 seventy five cents IA yard has been
replaced by an all-cotton one whole
sailing at eighty-two and one-half
cents.
Then take cotton goods. To begin
with. how many retailers have point
ed out that cotton Is four times as
high as II was in August. 1914. and
that 1t is nearly twice as expensive
now as 1t was only a year ago? How
many have shown that the prices on
the finished merchandise have gone
UP In proportion? How many of them
have shown that a staple Bingham OF
standard make that year ago cost
eight cents yard at the mill now
costs fourteen? How many have said
that the mill prices OF well-known
brands of domestic dress ginghams.
which last year could be bought at
nine and one-half to ten and one half
CENTS a Iut are now SlStHNu ana one
half and seventeen and one -haf cents
a yard? How many have shown the
advances that have taken place IN
bleached goods and in novelty dress
cottons as well?
1T is no secret that silks cost more
than they used to. but 1t may not be
known generally that they are going
to cost lot more within the next
year Not only is raw silk quoted at
record prices. due to crop shortages
heavy demands, and high rates of
exchange and war risk insurance. but
the scarcity of ships Is retarding de-
liveries to the manufacturers in this
country to such an extent that they
are paying more than the current
market prices for the limited amount
OF silk available here for quick ship
ment to the mills. In view OF this.
and the increased manufacturing costs
that inevitably must follow. where rs
the Justification for n retailers selling
staple silks at the present time on the
bases OF old buying costs?
Almost every woman can remem-
Der the time when she could buy a
pretty fair quality of eotton-warp
Storm eerge over the counter N Atty
cAnta n ward A U,ya ra Dfea Of eterpal