The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-07-18
STICK CLOSE TO BUSINESS
Keep Catalog of Expense Account and
Correct Analysis of Every Transac-
ton and Compare Every Month
With Preceding.


Statements of income tax returns
were made by only $4,000 retail mer-
chants of the United States this year
although there are $4,000 retail mer-
chants in the country" said James W.
Fiske, superintendent of the Business
Service Division of the New Jersey
State Chamber of Commerce, at the Ke-
nosha Retailer s Association MONDAY
luncheon in the Chamber of Commerce
rooms at noon Tuesday.
"Of these $4,000 retailers who made
the statements only percent were
shown to be making as much as $4,000
year. These same returns show that
one out of every five brokers make this
amount OF money a year; one out of ev-
cry ten manufacturers and one out of
every fourteen physicians make more
than this amount of money annually.
eff only 4 percent of the retail mer-
chants Of America make as much as
$4,000 a year, there must be something
radically wrong with the retail BUSH
ness. Every body is making money
now. The farmer is making more
money than he ever made before and
he is spending more than ever before
and there must be something very
wrong in the retail business when the
retailer can not make money. :.
The government needs three things
materials, which are the products of
the mines and factories; men, and
money. The retailers will be called
upon to furnish their quota of money
if they make it. And they can make
money without profteering. If the
business is wrong we must find out
where to look for the wrong.
E'One of the reasons for the decrease
of profits is the decrease of trade.
People are moving away from their
former homes. Another reason is the
decrease in purchases on account Of
conservation in materials. There is
also decrease in purchase units on &C
count of the draft. AS an example Of
this [ was passing by barber shop
with only two chairs and saw hanging
in front Of the shop service flag with
thirteen stars in it. Upon inquiring
why barber shop with only two chairs
could have thirteen employees in the
army | was told the stars did not re-
present that the barber had lost thir-
teen BARRIERS, but that he had lost thir-
teen customers.
"Some merchants think they have
made as much money as they did be-
fore if they make the same amount
without regard to the number of arti-
cles sold. Some of the stores are ad-
ding new features to appeal to the new
class of trade which is coming in to
replace the old without much regard to
the increased cost of the new.
"The men wounded on the battle
field are taken to the surgeon and made
over almost as good as new. If he is
not as good as he was when he was
hOW 4AO 10 q WA1O1O IUG OCGOCL 9A1h WHICH
he was taken off the field. This is
done by reason of the scientific knowl-
edge of surgery possessed by the sur
geon treating him. The retail mer-
chant must apply the same scientific
knowledge to his business.
"One man with whom I talked was
thinking of disseminating an old line
of goods which had been his best money
makers. When asked what was his
percent of, cost of doing business he
stated what he thought was his per-
centage. On this was based his idea
of disseminating the line because his
percent of profit did not equal what
he thought to be his percent of cost
of doing business. When we went over
his books we found his percent of cost
of doing business was much less than
what he thought it was and that the
lines he was thinking of disseminating
were still his best money makers. He
had simply thought his percent of do
ing business were the figures he stated
because somebody else had stated his
percent was that amount. This, then is
another cause of decrease of profits -
working without exactness.
" Decreases in business gan only come
from certain departments or from lack
of proper efforts. We should derart-
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