RETAILERS HAD RECORD TRADE THIS YEAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 82, 6 January 1950, Page 5

RETAILERS HAD RECORD TRADE THIS YEAR

Most retailers at Whakatane had a record Christmas, and many a record year. However, none of those the Beacon approached to ask about trade seemed surprised. They all have faith in the progress of this place and believe that the steady build-up of trade is just a natural symptom of that progress. Naturally, the progress shown in the figures varied with the businesses concerned, but nearly all found the first couple of days of Christmas week a bit quiet, probably on account of weather. But Christmas Eve itself was the busiest one this town has ever known.

People were in a spending mood, but perhaps not with quite the reckless disregard for price that characterised the first post-war years when long-missed goods had first started to re-appear. This year, there was no shortage of everyday lines. But one chief of a big business here, said he had found it hard to pick up the fancy frills that used to be such a feature of Christmas trade. Such things as boxed handkerchiefs, for instance, were simply not in the warehouses, though there were plenty of nice ones without the boxes. He considered that price control was largely responsible, not allowing enough margin on the boxes and the work of boxing. Probably the same would apply to putting the festive touch tn many other lines.

There is a tendency for prices to ease as more goods come on the market, and the big retailers here opine that this coming year’s markets will sway to the buyers’ side, a tendency they want to see, because the main cause of such a movement in the price level must be better production in the factories.

And that, experienced businessmen in all lines say, will be the salvation of New Zealand.

As one of them put it, “What we need is not less competition but more, not only amongst properitors, but amongst workers. We need to get back to taking a real pride in the amount and quality of the work we can turn out. And until we can get that spirit back into all our enterprises we shall not be able to turn over high quality to the public at lower prices.”