Imperial Valley press., 1944-05-18
A Phone Call 70 Charley

- 0uOUS S0Ht 10 Su0bu0y
One cold gray day last February
your reporter stood warming his
hands over a radiator in a small,
plain office in Columbus, Ohio. Thin
snowfiakes fell past the window.
A man at a desk was studying
long manila envelope. On it were
rows of figures describing certain
car of citrus fruit.
Cant sell this car here" the man
said, half to himself. "Everybody's
loaded. I'll try Charley" He picked
up the phone and talked to Charley,
q fruit jobber in another Ohio town
fifty miles away.
Charley, it seemed, wanted to put
off buying for few days.
Listen, Charley" the man at the
desk said-"I won't have another
car like this till way next week. Bet
ter take this one Eh? No,
listen!-these sizes are just about
right for you. If you don't take this
car I'll have to divert it-they want
it up in Cleveland. But / hate to di-
vert it, Charley, when l know it's the
kind of fruit you want. Yes, it's
Sunkist." The man at the desk read
off the sizes and prices-slowly so
Charley could take them down.
Whats that? No, sir, prices won't
be a bit lower next week" The man
at the desk-the Sunkist District
Sales Manager-explained and ar
gued. In fact, he talked to Charley
like a Dutch uncle, and when he
hung up at last, the sale was made.
Just routine incident-bnt your re-
porter couldn't help lDiShing that the
groiDer 1rllose fruit i1Gs in that car
could be there. So he'd knolD Jor him
self hoao much care and honest siceat
goes into selling his fruit.
OF course that phone call was only
the final push the selling job be-
gan back in Los Angeles, where,
from teletyped reports, Sales Man.
ager Powell and his aids plot the
citrus market, the areas of high and
low demand, just the way weather
bureau chiefs plot the areas of high
and low pressure.
As the car rolled east, it was watched
each day with reference to citrus
demand. The Sales Department con-
ferred with the growers own Dis
trict Exchange Manager, who al
ways has final say about destination
and selling price. If Columbus had
not made the sale, the car would
have been re-routed to markets
where demand was more active.
And right here lies the big advan-
tage of the Exchange way OF sell
ing. 1t gives the grower not just a
few restricted areas in which TO sell
his fruit, but throws open to him
all of the markets in the United
States and Canada, with So District
Sales Offices working for him. The
Exchange overlooks no method -
sells at private sale in 700 eariot
markets, at auction in 10 big metro
politan centers. And-whereyer
Exchange fruit goes ii commands
the selling skill of experienced men.
That's why, year after year, the
members of the California Fruit
Growers Exchange have so consist
emily sold their fruit in the best
possible condition, at the best pos
sible prices. And because the expense
is borne COLLECTIVELY by 14,5OO
growers, the Exchanges cost OF SELL
ing, including all of the many spe-
cialized Exchange services, does not
exceed the costs of other sellers who
do not and cannot offer similar mar
keting services.
II you're not giving yourself the
benefits Of this great cooperative,
isn't il time you began?
NEXT REPORT; Story Of a FrHn Car
Sidelights on citrus transportation.
In this paper 2 weeks from today.
California srult Growers Exchange
sansist Building. Los Angeles, 90, California
81 I L.