Evening star., 1924-02-05
Would CUT COSTS
OF DISTRIBUTION
Retail Dry Goods Dealers
Less Concerned Over Prices
During Rest of Year.
BY j. C.. ROYLE.
Snecial Disnat Itch TO The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 5.-The pos
sibility of lowering the cost Of dis
tribution rather than the problem OF
raising prices occupied the main at
tention Of the thousand or more re-
tail merchants who gathered here
today for the annual meeting of the
National Retail Dry Goods Associa-
% tion. These men, who represent busi-
nesses which have an annual turn
over of more than three billion dol
lars. were unanimous in seeking
clearer understanding with the buy
ing public and received with eager
ness suggestions which tended to
Aput them in closer touch with their
customers.
Would Teach Women Economy.
The woman's viewpoint was par
ticularly stressed in their discus
sions, in view Of the fact that over
So per cent OF the buying of the
country rests In feminine hands. Ar
rangements were arrived at through
The medium of Mrs. John Dickinson
Sherman. vice president of the Cen
eral Federation of Women's Clubs.
for educational campaigns in each
community which would simplify
conserve time and energy in shop
ping and teach them to plan before
buying.
y Few of the delegates in attendance
expressed the slightest fear that re-
tail sales would fall off during the
coming year. But they look further
forward than that. They plan for
conservation of expense and energy
for the possible lean years. which
will restrict rather than broaden the
fields OF sales effort and or store
space and expense.
It was horne in on delegates that
of the $4,000 communities in this
country only 663 are really consid-
cred trading centers. and that these
cities account for over 20 per cent
Of the nations retail business. AS
q. result plans for saleSmen's efforts
have been concentrated rather than
Chain Stores Discussed.
The place Of the chain store III
the merchandising scheme of the
present day was strongly emphasized
by the announcement that bankers
who had been associated with the
financing with the Kresge stores
would shortly offer a new issue of
tshe F. 1nr and rSs W. Grand S1S25ieens iS
store idea was strongly impressed on
the merchants by the statement that
this concern started with a capital
Of only $4,000 and produced sales of
s5.o00.o00 in 1923, with a net profit OF
nearly II per cent
The general trend Of retail trade
was borne out by the announcement
today that the sales Of the National
pepartment Depart Stores Inc. for the
1924. totaled $72.s9s.172, gain of
17.2 per cent over 1923.
This trend is made even more plain
by the figures showing the bank debts
FOR the last month. These should
serve as an excellent indicator of the
retail trade Of the country, and they
show an increase Of over per cent
above the DECEMBER total.
Lower Rents Desired.
Conservation of space and conse-
auent decrease in rent overhead ex-
pense was an important subject in
the discussions today Merchants
from all sections compared notes on
these reductions and viewed eagerly
the exhibits OF some seventy-flve
manufacturers of store equipment
who attended the gatherings Among
these was the exhibit Of the Earle &
Wilson Company, manufacturers Of
collars, with a newly developed dis
play cabinet with an automatic scale
half the space previously required
for similar display.
The toy fair, organized for the
benefit OF merchants who. already out
lining their purchases for the holi-
days. gave ample evidence that Ger
many and Italy were still prime fac
tors in this line OF manufacture.