Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1922-08-17
BABSON VS.
The Truth About Retail
Prices

Wellesley Hills, Mass, August a.
Discussing the general trend of the
business revival, Roger W. Babson, the
statistician has pointed out one of the
factors that is holding up prices and
living costs. FWhether retailers are to
blame for not making this readiust-
ment is, however, a debatable ques-
tion,' says Mr.. Babson in recent
statement. "My investigations lead
me to believe the retailer is not to
blame, but is the victim of certain eco
nomic changes which. have taken place
during the past few years.
"My thoughts go back to boyhood
days in Glucester, Mass. There was
butcher shop near my home where we
used to buy our meat. can see it now
with the hams, and bacon hanging up
on the wall, big block in the center
of the store behind which was a fat
healthy butcher, the proprietor of the
establishment, and the sole employee.
When my father wanted some beef he
gave me the money and sent me to the
market to get it. The butcher gave me
the cut my father desired, wrapped it
in brown paper and took it home,
paying cash for the same. The price of
good beef in those days was 20 to 30
cents a pound. There, however, were
no deliveries and the butcher didn t
spend anything on ice in the winter
time for | remember the frost there
used to be on those butcher store
windows although the butcher was
healthy and happy man.
THINGS DIFFERENT TODAY
Today the same store is used for
butcher shop but il is steam heated,
and the proprietor buys nearly as much
ice in the winter as he does in the
summer. Moreover, the proprietor does
not cut any meat himself. Mornings
he is often out automobiling. He has
a bookkeeper who keeps the accounts, a
big cash register, two clerks, and man
who runs the delivery automobile. Not
only is everything run on a much more
expensive basis but the clerks don t
do more than half a days work.
They see the proprietor loafing and
they loaf themselves. None of them
have any interest in the business and
each one is trying, to get by with as
little work as possible.
"The Fundamental question is
whether or not this store is selling any
more pounds of beef and provisions
than it did twenty years ago. | know
the rent has doubled and other eX
penses have tripled and quadrupled,
but l seriously doubt if this store is
selling any moro goods. Gloucester,
hash t as much population as it had
twenty years ago, and there are more
butcher shops. Tt is probably true
tnat people are eating more meat per
capita now than in those days, but | |
am very sure that the output of this |
shop is no greater than it was twenty
years ago. Today, however, when /
one of the neighbors wants steak she
no longer sends her boy TO get it Che |
ticinIg for high school minstrel show |
or perhaps he is at the movies). To |
day the mother telephones to the butch
err shop. the boolalzeeper enters the
order on an ell tborate fling system, this
in turn is given to one of the clerks
who cuts the meat. The meat is then
wrapped in two or three pieces of pa
per, put in special basket and de-
Iivered by an auto truck, costing two |
to three thousand dollars. Moreover,
The meat is charged to be billed at the |
end of the month and paid for wen,
and if money is available.
WHY PRICES ARE HIGHER
Gas result, people today, under
these conditions must pay double or
triple for their meat compared with
what they paid twenty years ago. The
ruth is that today everyone from the
boy of the home TO the proprietor him
self, is lazy.
"No one wants to do anything which
ne can possibly avoid. Everyone is
irving TO spend as much of his time
rs he can on amusements, automobiling
md movies Telephones, high schools,
md credit systems are wonderful in
ventions; but they all tend to increase
he cost of distribution. The retailer
IS up against fashions and customs
which have bound him with ropes that
IRE almost too strong to break What
he future will bring forth I do not
.now. Tt, however, is evident that the
etailer not to blame for present con-
litions. You and I, as fathers and
are to blame. Our high
chools are TO blame Retail prices can
70 roduood op1v 90 the cnirit of work |