Evening star., 1925-07-15
RETAIL SALESARE
HOLDING UP WELL
Volume Above 1924 in Most
Centers-MerChants Watch
for Style Changes.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, July 15.-There is no
sign of decline in the volume of re-
tail trade throughout the remainder
OF the Summer or next Fall The bus
mess of the principal mail order
houses and chain stores is proceeding
at a record rate and the sales of the
department stores in most centers are
we'll above the July. 1924, average
Prices are fairly well stabilized and
promise few extreme fluctuations, yet
the merchants themselves are pro-
seeding with the utmost caution.
This is due to the remarkable in
fuence which modern trends are hav-
ing and the realization that failure
70 judge them may mean loss instead
or profit even though the general vol.
ume OF purchases is high.
Styles Very Uncertain.
An example OF the uncertainty is
furnished by modern clothing for
poys. This Summer the trend has
oeen toward putting small boys into
long trousers. If a sufficient number
OF boys return 10 school in the Fall
wearing ''longies,' hundreds of thou
sands of pairs will be sold. If they
are In the minority and their mates
razz them, it is porfecE.y possible
that the style viii ne killed am. .kape
Will be an immediate demand for
knickerbockers.
Women's clothes. shoes and hats
are subject TO even more unforeseen
influences. At present the demand
Tor natural and artificial silks is un-
abated, but some new fabric may
bring out demand that would leave
heavy stock of silk goods on the
shelves. Even such a line as sock
suspender may be affected by the re-
cent sudden of
nigh school and college youths to al
low their socks to wrinkle loosely
about their ankles
Mail Orders Heavy.
The gains made by the mail order
houses and chain stores have been
phenomenal This is due, according
to experts, in some measure, to the
tremendous stocks of goods which
these concerns carry and the volume
In which they buy Many of the com
panies have become TO all purposes
wholesalers and iobbers, as we'll as
retailers. But good portion of their
gains is traceable directly TO resent
ment of patrons against inefficient
and disCourteous sales people in the
stores which sell by personal contact.
Lack of efficient sales people is not
the fault of the store managements.
The policy that the customer is al
ever, but to obtain clerks who will
carry out that policy is becoming so
difficult that sales people with Eu-
ropean training are at a premium.
Credit Business Grows.
Customers have come to observe
that it is far easier to secure adjust
ments when they are not pleased If
they have charge account than if
they pay cash and this has led to
widening of the scope of credit bust
ness. Many merchants are encourag-
ing this
The establishment of local stores by
mail order houses has been a depar-
ture from precedent this year which
has had a wide influence. H. G.. Moore
of Peoria, H.. president of the Ameri-
can Hardware Manufacturers Associ-
alton, says that in Chicago one firm
with a former turnover of 100000
has had this cut in half by such COM
petition and that the local mail order
store there put a hundred small re-
tailers out of business within a three
mile radius.
Competition Is Keen.
The chain stores and mail order
houses are not without bitter competi-
ton with each other. The move of
city dwellers to homes in the country,
within committing distance, has open
ed up hundreds of new communities.
Chain stores have rushed into these
and established branches and there
are more stores than the communities
can support prot1tably at the present
time. AS a result there is continued
talk of consultations of such chains
in each general territorial division.
The free parking of automobiles by
department stores for customers is
proving a valuable aid to trade in the
present state of street traffic conges
tion.