Williston graphic., 1919-04-10

CENTRAL DELIVERY
PROVES SUCCESSFUL
SYSTEM STARTED OVER YEAR
AGO PROVES SUCCESSFUL IN
WILLISTON-SAVES MONEY
By Thos. C. Hutchinson

A little over year ago the mer-
chants of Williston gathered together
one day to discuss ways and means
Of saving men and money in the op-
Grafton of their various stores during
war times, when Uncle Sam was in
need of such. One of the first points
to be brought to their attention was
the expensive system by which they
were operating their free deliveries.
Committee Appointed
A committee was appointed to look
further into the matter and the re-
suit of their Investigations was the
calling for bids for the delivery OF
goods from fourteen of the Williston
stores. Several bids were handed in
and Oscar Kron, manager of the Will
liston Co., whose bid was the lowest,
was accepted.
Stores Proportioned
The next task was to draw up a
contract that would meet with the
satisfaction of all stores concerned.
This was by no means a small JOB
and many changes were made before
the final contract was complete. Next
came the setting Of the amount that
each store was to pay per month.
Under the old system the merchants
according to their own figures were
paying $1,000 per month for deliv-
cry and under the new plan they
were to get this work done for 500,
a saving per month for the fourteen
merchants of 5000.
We knew from the start that un-
der the Central Delivery System that
it would be impossible to charge them
all the same per month as the big
ger stores did twice as much deliver
ing Is the smaller ones, but under
their old system some of the smaller
ones were paying out as much to op-
crate their systems as the larger
stores. ..
Set Rates For Stores
Our next move was to'approach the
merchants and find out just what
they would be willing to pay for the
new service. At this job we spent
the greater part of three days and
after much explaining and arguing
we finally finished and summed up
the total of our figures to find that
we were just $50 short of the $500
mark. AS the bid had been accepted
at 500 there was nothing else to do
but raise the additional $50.
We made the rounds again and
found it was harder to raise that $50
than it had been the $670. The small
er merchants said, that, "the larger
merchants were not paying enough"
and the larger merchants, claimed,
that, 'the smaller merchants were
not paying enough" and had it not
been for the community spirit OF
three of our progressive local mer-
chants, this splendid system would
have fallen by the wayside. These
three merchants made up this $50.
Delivery Starts
The contracts were then presented
and signed by all who were to use
the system and Mr.. Kron got busy
on the building of the special trucks
that he uses for this work. At first
three deliveries were made during
the day, all leaving a central station
at a given time, but during the win
ter months the deliveries were cut
down to two a day and is working
satisfactory.
Second Year of System
Mr.. Kron has started on the Sec
ond year of this work and in pre-
senting the contracts for signing
again he met with no opposition ex-
cept in one instance where a local
merchant, that thinks he can give
better service with his private sys-
tenn that will cost him twice what
the Central System will cost, refused
to sign. @.
People Support Plan
The people have become accustom-
ed to the system and are well pleas
ed with it. They know just at what
hour their goods will reach their door
and no matter if they purchase them
at five or six different stores they
will arrive at the same time.
The merchants all endorse the sys-
TEN highly and we venture to. say it
has saved them altogether during
the past year about $4,000 to $14,-
600. 1t was their first lesson in thrift
and cooperation and is certainly
worthy of mention.
We hope that we may be able to
help some other cities establish SIM
liar system as they are essential in
times of peace as well as in times OF
war.