The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-12-10
TWO MERCHANTS
TRY CASH P[, AN
IRA Parker Makes a Success OF
The Cash Grocery Business;
Walter Harris Says Can He
Do 1t With Clothes

t,vout One of these merchants Is
ira Parker. grocer. and the othef =
D. Walter Harris, tailor fal he'
bought out the grocery business OF u. II
Morgan about a year ago. lie has peeh
conducting it on a cash basis all this
time and claims to be making a ire
,,endous success of the plan. Harris
began disseminating credit on Monday O.
+his week. and believed he toe. will be
able to succeed as we'll, if not better
than Parker.
rnr cash grocery business was begun
two or three years back by ID. Il. Nor
gan who ran the grocery. which Parkef
bought after coming back from the army.
Parker had run a store before on Nam
s+reet but sold out when he went IN
tbe army. When he came back, he
worked a while in Morgan's store oe-
fore buying him out. When Iarke'
eook hold of the business he conducted
if strictly for cash,-and refused to ere
| dit even his most valued customers Al
| tba baeinning. many of Parker's friends
| failed to buy groceries of him feellng
e,eatlv inconyenienced by Farker's bus
| mess policy. but he kept it up. dc
| saws that he reduced his goods so ma
! terially that most of the old customers
he lost have found it to their interest 10
| come back and purchase groceries at MS
iprices.
| The claims of Parker about the cash
business are substantiated by many OF
the housewives of Elizabeth City. he
saws he has been able to reduce his over
head expenses from II to 9 per cent De-
| cause of the elimination OF the expense
of keeping up an extensive credit sys-
tam and losses from bad accounts. Inc
sales of each day mean a daily turnover
of the cash values of these sales, ne
gets his pay when the goods are sou
and nays his dealers when he buys his
Goods He says he has been able 10
| emf his nrices from 5 to 10 per cent
and in some cases as high as 70 per
!, cont below the prices he would have &c
get if doing business on the credit plan
Parker expects to do a business OF Sloo'-
a90 this year, which will be mucn
battar business than he could have ex-
! ine.ted. had he depended on $40" ae
, | counts and credit sales. He turns MS
r,o,av over now about three tunes as
-, | of+on ,s before and doesn't find 1t nee
q
:, as.orv to borrow from the banks to NEE
=, bic hills. and he doesn't have to Ia:
= awake nights any more for he knows
: what to expect next day.
i Parker says if business men IN gene
:, ra1 conducted their affairs on the same
J. n1,n as many of their wives run theh
:, homes. they would go broke in ~ days
y Tie believes many women are more care
> frl TO save on clothing than on groce
ries Many women go from store u
i, store in search of the best dry sooo
!. bargains. but phone for groceries Win
i ou+ asking the price. This state OF al
~ fairs has been brought on by many nus
=, hands who encourage their wives t
.,,;,,p along on small dressmaker's bill:
y aud at the same time accept any OF
: ,rica on groceries as a matter OF course
=, This apathetic attitude toward the eS
>, ppnse of running home has encouras
cd many grocers to sell at larger PR
fits than would have been possible ha
bousakeepers exercised more care
purchasing food.
" He saws the cash plan of selling gr'
ST aeries encourages thrift among nous
or wives. When once they are shown u
or advantage of buying for cash, tneS III
,is more judgement, and, instead OF seeli
or how much they can spend, they try
Mt see how much they can save. MAI
on customers even go so far as to Keep
small amount on deposit with Parke
as so their orders will be readily I'LL
We without hitch.
wi Looks Good to Harris
odf parker's success has encouraged da
.tv ris the tailor, to make the same NOV
5le Harris SAYS he knows he can increa
q his business by the adoption of the ca
,o+ nlan. believing if Parker can succe
ten with the women folks, he can succe
,nt with the men, for they have more mo
III ey to spend. He carries probably I
,o most exclusive line of tailoring IN t
ink city, and caters. to the best trade.
,rv snite this he is now carrying aoo
80 $40 600 on his books for the accom-
dation of his customers. Some OF the
accounts stand from two to six montt
Nd some are hard to collect and others q
never collected. The expense OF G
lactinp slow accounts and the loss
other accounts add hundreds OF dohs
TO overhead expense which must be m
He plans to eliminate this oyerneau
, pense.
He started his cash plan on Mond
, of this week and began by lowering
/ prices of his goods. Harris says
will be able to sell from 10 to 30
cent cheaper than before. Quick tul
overs will permit oftener replenlshm'
r of stocks, and with the saving OF
credits and other unnecessary expens
he will be able to do business on SIN
!er margin of profit. He expects 1t
= take considerable time to get the p
:, going, but believes he will do a mi
larger business, after he shows his
toners the advantage he intends to g
them owe rthe old system
w. o. Saunders is in Baltimore, L
,delphia and New York this week