The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-03-15
SHOES PEDDLED NOW.
'Save a Dollar Canvassing Raped by
Trade Paper.

The retail shoe store has a newly de-
veloped competitor ian the wandering
shoe salesman, who, with few sam
piles. enters the office building and finds
easy Abundance To almost. every concern
He spreads ON the table six samples Of
shoes and explains that he is able TO sell
! these stylish numbers away below
the retail cost.
lie points out that every merchant
must get at least - - per sent Oh the
selling price. and that il figures out 80
per cent of the cost. lie proposes to seil
7 the shoes ut cost, being content To take
: for his share the discount m cash.
( After convincing the customer that all
retailing is proiteering, and indicating
that the department of justice II re-
vealng the shady side OF merehandis-
ing, he has a prospective customer
worked up To the point OF selection OF
! one type OF the SIX shoes. Then with a
measuring stick and tape he adds the
! flourish by pointing out the advantage
I OF custom selection.
After making out the order the young
salesman names the date of delivery ana
does not ask for payment until tho
! shoes are fitted and prove satisfactory
The line of talk always stresses on the
! huge profits 81 the merchant, and many
men ''fall'' for the argument - NJ
overhead no dead stock and no expense
in rent, heat, light or craftsmanship.
The reasoning H. logicals one thinks
" hen Il raBid-iire talker.apd worker can
make "a preliminary sales IN a day on
an average aud twenty completed sales
on delivery day, IL hespeaks a new form
of competition, nibbhng ON orderly bust
ness. warns The Boot and Shoe Re
CaTder
..One shoe factorvF' saws the writer
"has practically its entire output sold
on the canvass plan of office TO office
I and house TO house. and ii Is rapidly
being taken mp bv other manufacturers
1t is n nibhlc on business that is Just a
step beyond thc wcllkuown college and
hotel Undertaking scheme used bv some
very reputable and exclusive retail shoe
shops. These semi-custom shops send
high grade representatives TO colleges Ia
the scholastic year and to hotels in the
summer season TO speclal-ualr measure
and sell. The aggregate of these special
order sales is well up in the millions
The newer form of house-to-hou sell
ing is on woman : comfort and style
footwear and from Office 60 office on
men : higher grade and medium priced
shoes.
The shoe business is not the only one
subject TO this nibhling competition
everything from aprons to rugs and
drapery II sold bV canVaSserS. In Phla
delphia and vicinity for years the buy
ing representative does the shopping
for the women who cannot go to town
The standard discount at one time giveT
by most stores was 10 per cent, ano
registered buying commissioners were
authorized to charge all purchases Il
their accounts Thus the suburban
housekeepcr had an extension of credit
for thirty days or less, and sometimes
if purchases were large, discount O
; per cent.
''When woman commissioner coul,
do a business OF $4,000 and reap $1,000
= for the effort it revealed an unhealthy
condition i'm merchandising. Most o
these practices have been discouraged
but idications are that some appare
; and commodity wholesalers were not
adverse to the scheme when the retail
dry goods merchant stopped the 10 pc
cent privilege.
1t is one more indication that tht
nagping and insdious propaganda to dis
credit merchants is made capital of b.
every small operator capable OF carrying
satchel and talking loosely on say,
your dollars by buying direct. L vii
go further unless merchants wake "
to the .nibble and bubble Of such eompe
tition -