The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-02-13

end to the service a department store
will give to 60 the other fellow one
better, and the result is the overhead
expenses Of these stores has become
very high. The advantages they have
over speciality stores, which I shall
mention later, may be more than off,
set by this gratuit0us service, and
unless happy medium is struck on
this phase Of the business, some de-
partment stores will have cause to
worry.
Department stores are usually
great users Of newspaper advertis-
| ing space. The great volume Of ad-
vertising run by the larger stores is
intended to draw people into the
stores, and to facilitate the sale of
goods.
If the Department Store can only
get the crowds into the stores the rest
is comparatively easy, as the attract
i've displays of merchandise of all
descriptions, scientifically placed
where they will compel the most at
tention, almost invariably will open
the shoppers pocket book. Adver-
Using is particularly effective for a
department store, in this particular,
that any advertising of particular
advantageous purchase in any depart
ment, will bring crowds to this store,
and every department benefits in in
creased sales as result of advertis-
ing only one particular section.
The amount of money spent for
newspaper advertising varies of
course, but the larger stores spend
from 2 to per cent Of their total
sales for this class Of advertising.
We now come to what think is
the great fundamental feature that
is responsible for the success of the
Department Store, and that is it's Pur-
chasing ability. Most stores, and
of course more particularly, the larg-
er organizations, have to more or
less extent been able to buy direct
from the producers. The Department
stores with their ready cash and their
large outlet for merchandise, have a
tremendous advantage over the small
operator who is forced to buy in an
Indirect manner. These stores by
their direct merchandising methods,
have been able to buy for cash large
quantities of goods, and to secure
larger discounts, than is given to
those who buy in small quantities. In
other cases, the large department
store buyer has been able to get his
goods at unusually low prices, by or
dering them in large lots in advance
of manufacture, thus lessening the
manufacturers risk. In this, and
various other ways, the larger stores
are able to get many consignments
Of goods, at figures that have pei
mitted them to sell at very low prices,
and still make a profit. I might 90
on into more detail as to the vari-
Gus ways merchandise can be secur.
ed by an organization like depart
ment sotre for less money than a
smaller operator, but for the purpose
of this paper, ! think l have shown
you they have this advantage.
Another big feature of Depart
ment store efficiency apart from it's
buying and advertising powers, is it's
specialized form of organization. In
the old time general merchandise
store. clerks sold goods in all or near
~ all departments, and accounts or
records were not separately kept. If
the store made profit, the owner
could only guess what lines of goods
produced it. In the average depart
ment store its accounts are kept sep
arate and each department must
stand on it's own feet. Each de-
partment has its own organization for
buying and selling goods, but the ac-
counting, advertising, credits and col
lectlons, handling Of cash received
and paid out, is done for the individ
ual department by special DEPART
ments organized to serve all the mer-
chandise departments of the store.
The modern department store is
wonderful business mechanism. Its
advantages in competition over the
specially or one line stores, lie in its
convenience for shoppers, the MANY
lines under one roof, the special SER
vices, that are 50 attractive to MANY
people and the display of goods on all
sides in many different lines. For
instance, let me illustrate an advan
tage that department store has in
particular.
"A lady has read an advertisement
that certain article is very attract
lively priced in the Basement Sales
Room OF Department store. On
her way to this department she passes
Tor instance, some very attractive dis
plays OF Ladies' Waists that catch
her eye, and she stops, inquiries the
price, and the chances are very good,
that although she came to buy a
dlsh-pan in the basement department,
she will carry that new shirt waist
home, apd she had no idea of buying
waist when she came in. The point
! want to make is this, that in a
department store your sales POSSIBLE
ities are so much greater than in a
one line or speciality shop.
could go on for considerable
length OF time, along this line, as
there are SO many features of the de-
.partment store business that are in
teresting and ought. to be mentioned.