Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-13
The Grin Behind
the Counter
nv Frederic ,. lIaskin

Washington. April i3.-For five years
the customer has been smiling appeal
ingly at the girl on the man behind the
counter. hoping To get a little attention
from that proud being. Now the smile
has migrated The sales-person is the
duplicating one. and the customer has
once more assumed his proper attitude
of arrogant Independence,
W. are now in a transition period.
rictorially speaking. the merchant is
sliding down "A steep hill toward low
priccs. trying desperately To make a
gradual descent. Meanwhile the public
stands afar OF. meditatively consider
ing how hong IL will be before lie hits
tettom We could go further and de-
scrius. the storm OF unemployment
Which is about TO break over the un-
suspeCting thinkers head If he hesi-
tates too long. and numerous other de-
tails. hat the analogy grows compl-
catcd
The point is that the buyer has
changed IN character from an eagerly
reCkless customer to a very cautious
one who demands 10 he shown. This
change in the attitude of the buying
puhltc has been noted by the editors
ot a number of trade journals. 1t is
further substantiated by the merchants
themselves All of them seem to he
tskfng trouble TO please customers.
And many are increasing their over
head expenses for service. at a time
when every possible economy is being
practiscd in store management.
his last Is brought out by an in
auiry lust made by the Domestic Dis
tribution Department of the United
States Chamber Of Commerce. Mr..
NI,H1 H.. ,f Ia,
questionuaires to merchants all over
the country in order TO find out how
they are meeting the proposition of de
Clulng prices. In the 1850 answers
received. he learned that very few shop
Keepers are making any cuts in service.
Rcst rooms. quick delivery service.
credit instructors in fancy work, and
other attractions are TO be continued
and ia many cases new ones added
These are the usual methods of MAX
tng store attractive. but Mr. Dodd
has 1 new suggestion FOR the same pur-
pos, of interesting buyers. II is that
merchants should take the public into
their confidence and make plain the
why and wherefore Of the middleman
overhead expense. bargain sales. and
price ioVcls.
Some other branches OF industry and
business long ago saw the wisdom Of
shoWins the people exactly how they
worked II was figured for instance.
that % telephone patrons knew how
connections were made. and recognized
-, human element in a telephone sys-
tom there would he fewer hasty. irasci-
4. e1nplaiuts-aud thcr, were
Publicity For Store Methods.
NuW All. Dodd explains, people are
d,uidnd.ng 70 know how costs are fixed
ai.d why prices haN, been doubled or,
tr"l.led between producer and consumer.
Tf,l want 10 know why the cost Of
lnsng. which rose ~ per cent between
l"l4 and 1920. should have fallen 50 far
uuA -a per cent. The public is asking
why prices do not come down faster
and Who is getting the profits if the
mor hant is losing money, as he says
h. Is .And 1t j. partly because these
questions are not being answered. or
ar, answered so confusingly BY differ
cuf people. that the bewildered buyer
SETTLES down TO see if prices viii not
reach the desired normaicy before he |
D Is - buy.
N "a the troubles Of the merchant. |
his oppurt .ulues for profteerinE
should l., thoroughly explained
public Mr.. Dodd believes This
No.. make tor greater honesty To-
M. lac customer and a more reason
tt attitude toward the merchant.
t' Instability uf markets is 50 con
i.~iag T. the buyer now that a little
Ar Dodds open diplomacy would
Welcomed by many OF the ultimate
CONS Iners. His QUESTIONABLE sheds
s"n.' rays Of light on the retailers side
Z. tat problem. 50 We mention some OF
II Conclusions Idrawn from the 1850
ANSWERS.
ll, obstacle 10 lower prices and sta
baIt most frequently mentioned in the
qaes tiornalres was railroad rates.
transportation vas pronounced 50 high
"a I. discourage shipment OF goods and
q Was further claimed that present rail-
road l.,rvs mas. the expenses Of travel
J. ss4icsu,u extremely heavy. Both
a these toms help 10 account for the
pr 81 q psce. of goods by the time il
f'st, me- a -hop-counter. The merchants
" D, complained about transporta ton
c's urged that the railroads should
lat ao TIME ~ cutting wages and rates.
- hat ~ turn merchandise could bt
81. Hof, rapidly.
TIE Qu. stlonuaire answers also be-
aIted IN, hotel rates which help 10
penslNc an item of overhead. some felt
thtf The hotels should fail into line and
begin 70 lower prices III proportion 10
th, gradual decrease il Lhe cost Of
Nf.!-2
The Merchants Viewpoint.
'.egarding the extent Of their own
r,-irs nChments. the merchants expressed
Nar' ine sentiments. Many explained
that wages of sales-girl could not b.
lowered 10 great extent because their
wages were not raised in comparison
with those ia industry. The majority
o. store owners complied with requests
fur more pay in part al least by grant
ina "a bonus. with the definite under
standing that this bonus was to be
given only through the emergency
p iod ~ war prices. Many of these
TO- fses are now stopped.
eeau merchants reported partial re-
Z fiof'~ iu wages. A number explained
tleii Qpestionuaires that they called