The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-09-10
Mark Prices in
Plain Figures

mated appears to be not clearly known.
The reason why 1t was adopted is also
something Of puzzle, although plaus-
ible solutions are offered. About the
only thing regarding 1t that is at all
definite Is that 1t came into being
years ago. when 1t was the custom OF
the manufacturers and wholesalers to
build kind of Chinese wall around
their business and station a regiment
Of soldiers at every gate. In those
days, according to trade veterans,
commercial spying was high art,
crossed with silver for posing as
buyer and thus obtaining price data
of the competitors Of the merchant
who hired him. Ii. those days any
thing approaching the open-price as
sOciations that had their being here
during the war would have been
looked upon as madness. for then, to
all intents and purposes, every mer-
chant regarded his competitors as per-
sOnal enemies.
One of the favOrite codes used in
the early days, 1t is said, was the one
based on the old motto "In God We
Trust" This had the advantage Of
containing but twelve letters. with no
Implications In the first ten. Thus,
by dropping the final ST." something
like this was arrived at:
INGOD WE TRU
345 $3.50
With this arrangement worked out,
the rest was easy. fla man were SELL
ing broadcloth at $3.50 a yard, on his
price ticket would appear the more
or less crytic sign o D q. Were he
selling an overcOat at $37.25. the mark
on the ticket would be G Z N d. Some
times the code would be varied by
placing the figure / under the u and
numbering In sequence to the left In
stead of to the right. Thousands of
codes and variations Of original ones
have since been devised.
Frequently Abused.
While there seems to be little doubt
! that the code system was adopted orig
.lnally as a protective measure, It was
not long before It began to be used for
more Interior purposes. What was
there, somebody evidently argued, to
prevent the use Of the code to fool
buyers as to the real price7 In Its
early days, at least, wholesale bust
ness was no more conducted on q
strictly one-price basis than was re-
tail selling. Therefore. not only did
code price frequently mean differ
ent quotations to different buyers,
but II often meant the minimum az.
ure at which a yard OF goods or q
garment could be sold. The sales.
men were permitted to get anything
they could above the figure Indicated
by the code. and as they were paid
In comparison with what they sold,
they tried.t to- get all the traffic would
bear. That way OF dotngsbusiness pre-.
vailed In one Of the biggest wholesale
houses In the country for years, Il d
said, and the gentle art Of buying
there was rendered more difficult by
| the fact that practically every kind
Of merchandise sold by the concern
had q different code.
Instances like those noted above
have been paraIleled many times, &C
cording TO the buyers heretofore men
toned. In late years. however, sales
men have had less leeway. IL any al
all. In connection with fixing prices
Because Of this the double-prIce sys
tenn to different buyers Is worked
more In the salesrooms than on tn,
road. Also. Il is asserted. the prar
tice referred to Is now very largeI,
confined to, the garment trades Ii
i the hands df smooth worker, usual
" q member Of the 6rm or the 90
called geheral representative, II,
cryptic co1e letters can mean s37. 81
to one bdyer and sS7.25 to anothes
To really favored buyer Il mlfh
lmean even les.
-.