Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-04-24
DOING BUSINESS
ON A CASH BASIS
Old Established Firm Of Ridout
Company Makes Departure
Former Custom
NO MORE CREDIT SYSTEM

Since April 10 the old established
firm of The Ridout Company has been
doing business on Cash Basis" A
notice to this effect appeared in these
columns more than a week ago, and
after weeks trial, the firm is well
pleased with the new venture.
Eliminating all it's old time credit
system. the Ridout firm has taken the
initiative by establishing business on
1 regular cash basis which it intends
to pursue. 1t was not without some
little regret that the firm took this
stand, but present conditions COM
PEELED il, and TO do business honestly
and fairly ii WIS found necessary to
establish precedent and an innova-
ton in the dTygoods business in An
napolis.
All tradesmen and large dealers re-
quire cash payments" for goods now,
especially these days of II. c. L.,
either cash on delivery or on a thirty
day basis. and to meet these require
ments it is necessary for the small
town tradesman TO have some system
whereby credit with a thirty-day pay
ment, or less. must be enforced Pa
irons are oftentimes neglectful of
payments. and instead of cash III
thirty days, will allow the account
10 run sixty and ninety days, and
even year.
No well regulated firm in these days
" the high cost of living, can do bust
ness successfully on such credit
system They must pay their bills or
lose their credit with the trade and
the wholesale dealers.
The Ridout Company has been long
suffering. and there are others in
town similarly afflicted, but it took
the Ridout Company TO establish the
precedent of a Cash System" which
is sure to be followed by other local
business firms, sooner or later. The
towns representative people and the
stores best patrons are congratulate
ing the firm on the stand it has taken,
and it has received commentator on
ali sides.
BY selling on cash basis. the firm
knows just how and where it stands.
Ii can cut the selling price to min
imum profit. and can sell more salts
factorily to its patrons as well as
10 the company.
The Ridout Company was establish
ed in 1879. and did business as the
Ridout Brothers, until the death of
Weems Ridout, one of the firm. when
the business was re-established under
the name of the Ridout Company,
with Grafton d. Ridout, senior mem
Der of the firm.
After having been established in
business in Annapolis for over Al
years, it was not an easy matter TO
take the stand that eliminated the
credit system from firms books, that
for more than two score years had
heen doing business under that helm
Gus system. and with detriment TO its
fair profit but with material loss OF
thousands of dollars in the year.
why make the good-paying people
paw for the bad?" said business man
in local circles today. The Great At
lantic and Pacific Tea Company ha:
established the cash system, and peo'
pie from all parts of town and county
| flock to its stores and stand in line
| TO be waited on on Main street ant
West street and pay cash, for by DO
/ ing this they can save few cents
/ Nobody took offense al the Tea
/ Stores cash system. why should tina
/ of the Ridout Company, one of The
oldest firms in town offend them?
1t is the general opinion that j
will not be long before all the An
napolis stores are doing business like
the Ridout Company, on "Casl
Basis"