Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-01-29
STATE COUNCIL OF DEFENSE
PLANS cURTAlLMeNr OF
MERchANTs' SERVICE.
WILL BE INAuGURATEp
EARLY IN FEBRUARY
Dian Already Adopted Voluntarily In
Some Cities Of State-WouId Release
Largo Number Of Men For War Ser
vice-Compcttion In Business Has
Resulted in Abuse Of Free Delivery.

Des Mo!nes. Jan. fs.--It Is expected
that some time in early February the
state council OF defense will notify the
retail merchants in Iowa to inaugaurato
the one delivery a day plan In ele!r
business
The matter has already been discuss.
ed by the larger Des Moines stores al
n great many OF the smaller ones, and
as a war measure they are OF the opin-
ION that Il viii release a larger VOL
ume OF men for the countrv's duty than
most any other move that could be
made. Il VIII work a hardship. OF
course, on the stores for time and
naturally interfere with the delivery OF
packages. However. the council VIII
assist in an educational campaign
among the wo:ren 10 carry their pack =
ages and particularly do their ordering
at convenient times for delivery. In
fact, it will necess!tate them doing this
and IN the end will no doubt bring some
senblance of order In doing business.
twenty Ave years has turned what for
merly vas COW enience into an abuse
and It may correct Some Of this. On
the other hand the merchant will be
sorely tried in making the necessary
changes to meet the conditions
When this order comes the Dcs
Moines department stores. cloak and
suit houses, and Ike concerns. viii
consider the ACCESSIBILITY OF adopting
the slogan, Deliver tomorrow your
purchases OF today" That IS, no pack
ages will be delivered on the day OF
purchase. This will permit them TO
make earlier deliveries and they will be
more satisfactory in every way. In
fact 1t Will be about the only way de-
liveries can be handled under the order
Of one day.
Several Towns In.
Several Iowa cities, according to Mr..
Metcalf, secretary OF the state council.
have already adopted the one delivery
plan and reports are that It Is working
very satisfactorily among the mer-
chants and public alike. Cooperative
deliveries are also strongly recon-
mended by the council.
Will also be enforced and tho return
goods abuse will como IN for It's share
of curtatlment. The return good. abuse
Is the cause of a large number OF IN
necessary deliveries.
While the retailers desire to give the
government every assistance in deliv-
cries, the matter of correcting the re-
turn goods abuse Is q ruling more fav-
orable to tho merchant than to the
public and they will be glad to see II
come. It is without doubt the largest
abuse that can be found in a depart
ment store. The government some time
ago began a campaign on this and have
learned that the most OF It was un'
necessary on the part OF tho public.
/. may seem exaggerated. but before
the government took charge OF this
abuse 20 per cent Of the stock OF the
ordinary department store, for instance
was In the hands OF the customers al
all times Now consider this amount
on a $4,000 900 stock OF goods. The gov
yernrnent has learned through its cam
paign that It can be very materially
reduced and It has been
Limit Returns.
tense will demand a three day return
limit on merchandise taken out on ap-
prevail. Another thing that the public
don't realize and which the government
has taken into consideration !s the ter
rible risk run by everyone everywhere
in this line.
Goods are kept ont and worn time
and again and brought back for return
az late az TWO months With a three
Gay limit this could not happen. on
account OF Just such acts as this last
year during the intanti!e paralysis
scourge in tho east the nerchmants
were compelled 10 refuse goods taken
out from their infant department as a
number 0. cases Of that dreaded dis
ease we're traced directly 10 the re-
turning OF merchandise that had been
taken out and worn. Not only IN this.
hut statistics show all kinds Of bad
diseases are traceable 70 Just this fact.
Then let us show you the !nconVeL! =
ence Of some shoppers: a customer
purchased Il pecrgettn chepe waist al
one OF the down town stores the other
day on approval It was sent out neatt
" packed and wrapped. It was return
ed all CTuIDD!'u up dI!H ~ dpI'N ga "a
newspaper with no APOLOGIES. She evil
IDENTITY purchased one somewhere else
for several days later she naTe in VAIN
another waist and wanted to change
the one she had then from the other
store She asked 20 see one Ike she
had seen the other day. The sales girl
very obltgIngly brought out tho !denti-
cal waist she had the day or so before
and she objected 10 the fact that 1t waa
all crumpled up and wanted u fresh
one. OF course, this customer vas po-
Htely told that the condition OF the
waist was her fault, but she would no,
have it, just the same. This liz another
side of the return goods abuse.