The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-05-01
One Delipery a Day
Plan A Success

One delivery a day, the elimination
of special deliveries, and the restric-
ton of return privileges have result
ed in great saving of men and money
to thousands of retail merchants in
all parts of the United States accord
ing to a summary just issued by the
Commercial Economy Board Of the
Council of National Defense.
Reports from rs department stores
show that since the curtailing of two,
three, and four deliveries day and
the limiting of possible returns to
three days from the date Of purchase
the number Of men employed on de.
liveries has been reduced an average
OF 80 per cent In the first month
after the Inauguration Of the new
plan the value Of the goods returned
to oen New York department store
was $4,000 less than in the CORE
spending month Of the previous year.
A group of department stores in a
city of the Middle West is being
saved 700 special deliveries a day
through the abolition of that bng-es-
tablished custom.
The experiences of several thous-
and stores have been collected by
the Commercial Economy Board and
published in pamphlet form to serve
as a practical guide in meeting labor
problems that arise from the drafting
Of men for Army service. Twenty
large cities and innumerable small
cities and towns have joined the
movement ito reduce expenses and
diminish the number of employees
during the war. These include Phil
adelphia, Boston, Cleveland, Cincin
natl San Francisco, Los Angeles
Oakland, Columbus, Dayton, Spokane
Seattle, Toledo, Portland, Louisville
Oklahoma City, Indianapolis, De-
Moines, and Canton, so that all parts
of the country are represented.
AS a typical example of how say
ings are made in department stores
the case of one in a city of the Mid
die West with a populatiin Of 10000
is cited. Before the wartime eXper1
ment was tried this store used tire
trucks; one covered the northern SCI
ton of the city three times day an
another made the rounds in the cas-
ern section, while the third covere
the south and west, which were les
populous, twice day. After tn
change one truck covered the nortl
ern route in the morning and wer
to the south and west sections in tn
afternoon A second truck wei
over the eastern route. Thus tw
trucks instead of three did the worl
aving as significant have bee
made in grocery and specially store
In a Maryland village grocer circ
lated among his patrons leahet g
planning that there would be one d
livery instead of two each day in o
der to conserve labor for war US
and promising that he money save
would be shored by his customer
Two months after the readjustmel
the wagons were marking all deli
cries between / and p. m. and tt
drivers were able to spend the NOR
ings in the store attending to tel
phone orders The owner of Il
store estimated that on the old deli
cry plan he would have been force
to employ two extra men to take cal
fthe increase in his business.
Cooperative delivery system
which the Commercial Econon
Board recommended for small al
medium-sized cities and towns, al
for larger cities wherever practi
able, have brought about even larg
savings, proportionately, than Il
one-delivery plan. In a small Tex
town where each of six grocery stor
maintained truck, one truck nc
delivers for all, In a large MIDI
Western city all the departing
stores have united in a cooperate