The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-05-01
ed, play the piano. on which he was

DDS Once he went to Germany TO
visit a man from whom he had been
buying penknives for years. Going
into this mans office one day, he
said: Here's knife that you make.
It's pretty good knife. It's higher
priced than the goods l handle. How
much does it cost you to manufacture
it?"
The German told him. ''If gave
you a big order,' and Mr.. Woolworth
named considerable total, "at what
price would you sell it to me?"
Sixteen cents" said the knife
man.
'If give you an order sufficient
to keep your factory busy night and
day twenty-four hours. for year,
what then?'
The German figured long time.
Then he said, Eight cents"
Done" said Woolworth.
There was no pretense to Wool
worth; he was big, bluff and hearty.
He didn't pay his employees parti-
cularly large wages and he held them
to strict accountability. He insisted
upon courtesy. "The customer is al
ways right was one of his doctrines.
Never forget that. He or she is right
whether she is or not"
Once or twice or thrice year he
would shoot a telegram to everyone
in his hundred or more stores in
America and have the same thing
done in his fifty or sixty or more
stores in Canada, England or else
where, and thisNis about the way, the
messages woul read:
Good morning. DID you sad Good
morning" to each customer this morn
ing.
Mr.. Woolworth had n admiration
for Napoleon that was Little short OF
passion. His office was furnished
in exact duplication of one CT Bona
parties favorite rooms. He purchased
Napoleonic relics wherever he could
get them and he read and reread the
life of the Little Corporal with more
interest than any other volumes in
his library. His friends said he liked
to believe he had some of the charac-
teristics of the great Corsican. He
certainly had the gift for orgapiza-
ton that was Napoleon's, but Wool
worth was at times merchant and
only merchant, while Napoleon had
transcendent ability in many lines.
tits said Woolworth was one of the
first merchants of America to make
q study OF traffic density. Formerly
it was the custom for a merchant to
depend on his Judgment as to the
choice OF location for his store. A
good many years ago Woolworth be-
gan measuring the volume OF the
human tide and the character Of its
elements before he decided upon leas-.
ing or buying store. He endeavored
also to keep track accurately of the
traffic charges in all cities of conse-
quence. An excellent location meant
success. A fair location meant small
profit. A poor location meant failure.
He wanted no failures. In every
branch of his business he tried to be
as exact, as certain of good results as
humanity possible.
He and all great purchasers like
him came In for bitter criticism at
times. No doubt by taking the entire
output of factories for year or more,
they were able, by reason OF having
off the manufacturers for
mer customers, to dictate to the man
ufacturer as to production costs and,
not infrequently, reduce him to sub.
serviency in them. That was VI
cious practice.
There was criticism, too, of the in
Justice to small town merchants OF
such competition as that OF the chain
store. Mr.. Woolworth felt this Grid
cism keenly. He had been a strug-
Cling storekeeper and knew the trials
of the man of small capital, but he
said there was no escape from econ
omic law and the small merchant who
could not stand against the force OF
competition had to succumb. If 1t
was not Woolworth it would be some
one else he would have to combat.
There was amazement when Wool
worth opened and 10 cent store
on Fifth avenue, New York, opposite
the library. Some of his friends asked
him if he was not making a mistakei
il he was not paying too high rent;