Evening star., 1923-07-21
Retailers Facing -Four Vital
Problems, Babson ASSERTS
Economist Sees Need of More Aduertis-
ing, Better Service and Closer Rela-
! tiOns With Manufacturers.

, entire fifty can get as good. if not
better results, for an amount of
money that it would cost one when
working independently. The retail
erS should do more advertising. and
cover with their advertising a larger
territory than they did before the
days of the automobile. Now every
small city retailer can consider as a
possible customer every one living
within radius of forty miles.
While each retailer should advertise
his own business Independently, yet
he should be willing to join with the
others in constructive and educational
advertising.
Better Service Urged.
CD Give Better Standardization
must remember that they are the SER
wants of the consumer and are not in
business to gouge the consumer. The
retailer whose chief interest is in
his customer has a good business to-
day and is sure to prosper in the
years to come. Retailers need not
worry about cash and carry" sys-
TENS or other new-fangled schemes
provided they will give service. Peo-
pie are willing to pay for service
and retailers who give real service at
1alr city prices enjoy real prosperity.
go Establish Better Relations With
Manufacturers;-Cne of the greatest
have is their intimate relations with
the manufacturers from whom they
buy their goods. 1t would be possible
FOR retailers to establish such a rela-
tionship if they would only invest
their money in the stocks of the COM
panies from which they buy. For in
stance, if Il grocer, instead of buying
mining, oil and other stocks, about
which he knows nothing, would in
vest his savings in the National Bis
cult Company, Quaker Oats Company.
American Sugar Refinery Company,
ETC., he would then establish a rela-
tionship which would soon be very
valuable. One sees very clearly what
this would mean if large group
should combine their stock holdings
and vote their stock as group.
Must Study Conditions.
"a Study Business Conditions
Retailers must give more thought and
study to the conditions of the country
as a whole. The average retailer must
realize that his business depends a
great deal upon the business condi-
tlOnS OF the entire CountrN-yeS, of
the entire world. This is necessary in
order to know when to buy and when
not to buy, when to borrow and when
not to borrow, when to advertise and
when not to advertise.
1t is true that the retailers of our
country are faced with four tremen-
douS problems, but / believe that all
OF these problems can be met if the
better retailers Will only organize and
fight collectively: First, to get new
customers; second. to give better
service; third. to establish stronger
relations with the companies from
which they buy, and fourth, to study
business conditions in general.
Today business is about normal. as
indicated by the Babsonchart. What
the future is to show will largely be
determined by, the attitude of the ma
tons retailers.
1t is commonly said that the stock
market discounts industrial changes.
Certainly the retailers discount stock
market changes. The retailer is pri-
marily responsible both for the high
prices of overexpansion and the buN-
ers' strikes, with the depressions that
follow
tMr. BabSOn, the noted statistician, who is
regular contributor 10 The Star will con-
tinue his special articles business aud
financial conditions in next Saturdays issue
England has Il lighthouse to every
fourteen miles of coast.