The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-10-08
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INF ORM ATION
Blu RE AU
FREDERIC J. HAGK1N, p4roessz.
Washingt0a, D. C.
WILL THE PUBLIC BUY CHEAP?
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WILL THE PUBLIC BUY CHEAP?
New York, Oct. Sit has been con-
clusively shown that the public will
buy dear-almost incredibly dear. 1t
buys just as much at high prices>as it
used to buy at low prices. 1t cheer
fully pays a dime for a one-cent ap-
pie provided there is a fruit-stand man
to polish it on a somewhat dirty apron
and put it in a paper bag. 1t will pay
a weeks wages for a pair of shoes,
provided there is an accommodating
clerk with whom to discuss the
idiOsyncracies of its feet. and a deliv-
cry service to carry the shoes home
for it.
But will the public buy cheap?
That is, will it take any trouble or
forego any convenience to get the ne
cessities of life for less money? Is it
enough in earnest about reducing the
cost of living to make a personal ef-
fort to reduce it? Or does 1t really
enjoy it's own extravaganza, admire
the astute profiteers who fleece it..
and howl about the high cost of liv-
ing merely from an ingrained habit of
bowling?
These may sound like foolish ques-
tiens, but consider the sale of army
food. The attempt to sell food thru
the postoffice department for about SO
per cent less than it could be bought
in the retail stores was, as every one
knows. a failure. After several weeks
of persistent advertisement. most of
the food in most of the cities remained
unsold. Various reasons were assigned
for the failure. Perhaps the most
plausible was that the food was In
relatively large quantities, while most
people have only little money to
spend at a time on food. The average
workman spends his wages every Sat
urday for a weeks supply of food. He
cannot buy six bounds of bacon, be-
cause, if he did, he could buy no bread.
But it was widely suggested that
families club together to buy in guam
titles
"Oh. yes: We never thought of that. "
some assented feebly. A few went so
far as to act upon the suggestion. But
of the army food still remained I'M
sold.
Various other reasons were given
why the army food was not taken.
Some housewives said it was not of
good enough quality for their fastidi-
Gus spouses.
Archibald simply won't eat that
army bacon" said one young mar
ried woman. He likes the kind that
comes all sliced up in little glass
jar"
And vet the army bacon Is good
kind of husband who howls like a
wolf every time the wife hands him
a grocery bill.
Some held off because they were
suspicious. They remembered that
during the Spanish-American war the
army meat was tainted. The fact that
there was never a. word about tainted
meat during this war made no differ
enee to them. Army meat and pto-
maine poisoning are inextricably and
forever associated in their minds.
But none of these reasons was the
main reason why the food did not
sell thru the postoffices. The main
reason was that people are not used
to buying in that way. and they DC
not feel strongly enough about the
cost of living to break the bonds OF
habit. They are used to trottine
around to the corner grocery store
and being soaked, and they would
rather continue to do so than take
little trouble and avoid the soaking.
The war department. having duly
recognized this fact, abandoned the
postoffice plan of selling and decided
to open retail -stores of its own. 1t
also started to sell its food thru regu.
lar retail stores and rolling stores,
Both of these processes have recently
been going on here in New York. the
chicken sold thru regular butchers has
been largely taken because 1t came to
the public in the usual way.
But the government retail store Is
the really interesting experiment. Here
is one more chance for the public To
buy cheap. If this store prospeFs
(thera is only one in New York at the
time this is written) others will be
added, according to Col. j. M. Carson
of the quartermaster corps, who has
charge of the selling of army food IN
this zone.
Colonel Carson is not primarily In
terested in reducing the cost of nv-
ing. but merely in getting rid of sur
plus supplies. He does not expect his
operations to lower prices generally.
He saws he has tried to assure the re-
tail merchants that his operations Will
not affect theirs in any way. The re-
tail merchants have shown that they
are not afraid of his operations by
offering him their cooperation in get
ting his store going. In fact, mis- oper-
atoms are about as serious menace
to the retail business as a flea is to an
elephant.
But Colonel Carson admits that his
enterprise will grow If the public un-
mistakably demands its growth. He il
selling at the time this is written. only
underwear, socks, blankets, overshoes
and few other such articles. He will
greatly increase both the size and the
variety of this stock Ii the public de-
mands it He will sell food as well a:
drygoods. There are still great guam
titles of stuff to be sold.
How is the public taking this OPP
portunity to buy cheap, which viii
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
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