Norwich bulletin., 1922-08-17


 work, l visited a great number of fac tories to compare the methods of manu- featuring and the system of turning them out. Then I went into the field.
 My duty was that of covering the major portion of Connecticut and a por- ton of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. There I got in close touch with the peo- pie. We organized an outside sales force and we inaugurated a system of adver- Using that made The Plaut-Cadden company a household name in almost every corner of this section. or within radius of 50 miles of Norwich While many people had not been in touch with us personally, through our advertising
 they were brought in contact with the | personnel of the firm. and in that way we created very congenial spirit and per
 sonal affection for the firm. In addition to that we learned at frsthand the re- | quirements of the people. and tried 10
 make our firm fit a field for giving great CT service than that which We could give | with our limited lines of pianos. Victro- i las, etc People with whom we had done | business for years inquired of us rela-
 tive to household needs such as furni- | | ture, rugs, ranges, and hundred and i one other things for the home. Again, 1 we found great many prospects whom i we were soliciting for pianos who would | say to us: Why. I am going to buy a piano some time but not until I have ht-
 ted up my living room or parlor" It oc- | cured to us that there was a field for us | to enter-that of everything for the home People were continually coming
 into the store to tell us what satisfac- | tory piano they had bought of us, how pleased they were with it, etc, but | though they would call again. there was nothing more to sell them. We concluded that, with the endless chain of people I r-yFAL r--l.. i 4a--
 past 50 years, we should put in lines
 whereby we might continue to serve those whose good will we had acquired.
 So, for about four years before going into the furniture business and kindred
 lines I was delegated to go about the
 various parts of the country to study the
 furniture business. Conditions were in-
 vestigated all over New England. taking
 In Boston, Providence, Holyoke, Spring
 field, Hartford New Haven, then
 throughout New York state, on to Chi
 cago and the western territory, even into
 the Dominion of Canada. and through many modern institutions that were serving the communities in which they , did business. After consulting again and , again. we came to the conclusion that a . real modern store was necessary. and we , immediately proceeded to fit up the pres , ent Plaut-Cadden store.
 We continued along that line for five
 years. conducting very successful busi- ] ness, serving a clientele which we are ! very happy and gratifed to say. is per haps one of the largest enjoyed by any l concern in the east-for a town of our Q size-but again a problem faced us. The e consumption of merchandise made possi. . ble by our store was too great to remain
 small institution, and we were no
 quite big enough to consume a sufficient
 amount to render the service that ' larger city institution could render About Is months ago we felt that tn, a opportunity presented itself to be of nor,
 service to the community. We learned = in our five years of merchandising tha q we had done, that the power of greate D distribution would give us greater powe
 in buying. 90 when the Foran fire tool
 place in New London we thought 1t
 grand opportunity to take over the ol,
 | reputable firm and to build up an eff
 cient organization such as that we hav ,S in Norwich. We concluded that tn H greatest asset in merchandising was keen
 ing down overhead. and we felt that W " could take the same executive institu tion and load on the New London anC = with the same overhead conduct tn ~ New London store. under the one set - executives thereby increasing our buy m II, ing and distributing power and reducin oL overhead. This proved wonderful su, IS cess. During the last year we saved ' iu our buying from 10 to 20 per cent W - reduced our overhead about 13 per cent ls and we find ourselves in better positio l- to serve than ever before. We do yer 'h ., extensive mail advertising. having u- mailing list of 20,o00.
 ,e We conduct our own credit depar- to ment. giving every man within 40 mil, lt a credit rating. It is strange to to ga ne that in the large amount of credit bus e ness we do. we do not employ collecto III III We have every confidence in the peop with whom we deal. and we find tn, , people as rule are honest Their inter tions are the best. It Is only by accidel | or bad luck that they ars led to do u st other thing. We employ a large numb, -e Of people in both stores, our NorwiC ne store counting over 50 and our Ne h. London store more than 25. We stri, 10 to keep spirit of good fellowship with
 the ranks of our employees, and in thl He we have been more or less successful b an cause we place everyone on their hon III and have found that it is a good plan -o- work upon. We have our troubles III ee, everyone else, because the man wi 'al doesn't have troubles is the fellow vi 'e- doesn't do anything, and we feel ths on compared to the amount of business ot do. our troubles are little ones We A lat rather elated at the results of our met me ods, which we feel are unique in a tov om of our size We find small populati ,ck coming into o,,r s+o-s s,,sr,, ,,,'I. Hs. to Ing count for a period of about 5 the months, we find that on Saturday alo Lte. over 1,2s0 cross our threshold to tran ! act business in one form or another V a are not infallible, and there are a gre Ign many rough spots in our institutions y th- but we hope that our institutions in Nc my wich and New London will be a source cen pride to the people we are striving ect- serve.
 Following his talk Mfr Morin V given a hearty vote of appreciation ins his talk and also for his gift of ciga At the business session at which the " were many guests President William ms Park presided. Charles A. Saxtou 1 , ne ported for the entertainment comm Ieu tee and Harry Shannon announced tr Sou the third and final game of the Rotai o", Chamber of Commerce series for > l Carroll cup would be held at the N,
 IL wich State Hospital on Monday aft kH noon at 4 o'clock. William Taylor. De- member of the Paterson, N. J., eli her spoke to the members on the work T au- is being done in Patterson for the pt oay boys of that city The Patterson q had has established a Boy Scout camp lere one of the New Jersey lakes and l ally sent 25o boys from the slums to en tire life in the open. He advised stron hat that all Rotary clubs take a deep int me -~- 7 the work for the betterment of the hoya
 'ood Joseph c. Worth was song leader