"CASH ON THE NAIL."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 120, 12 May 1908, Page 4

"CASH ON THE NAIL."

GROCEKB ARE UETTLVi IT. AND HOW.

Grocers' employees on the delivery and order round 6 have been "catching it," a* more than one woman lias put J it. ;e inauguration of the very sensible but, for some reason, long" doay ed-system of encouraging the cash was heralded by a succession I newspaper paragraphs in advance, nd the expectant housewife was on the ■jok-out for what our friends the drapr» call " startling reductions." And tecause it. wa« found on the first of 3d.ay hat sago was not to be purchased at a »enuy" a pound, kerosene at a shilling a in, or the best factory cheese at the ame price as it was a few years ago, >y paying " eaah on the nail," there 'was rouble in the grocer's camp. And it ras the order-canvassers and deliveryart men who had to stand the abuse, eply to the arguments adduced, and ndcuvour to make straight the path to uture business. Of course, part of the ;rum<bliug and the growling was done t the shop-counter, whither the angry r complaining customer repaired "to eo the boss.' 7 A Daily News reporter, vlio had heard something of the turnoil, had a few minutes' conversation ritli one of the associated grocers, iwhu uive formulated a scale of charges for ash and credit, giving the ready-innoey uyer the advantage. In answre to the first question, 11"ealer in foodstuffs j»aid the public cemed to have, got liold of an alto;cther incorrect idea, that the present ash price was just on a par with the Id hooking rate, and that the only miiceiuent to pay cash was a penalty or booking. That tliis was not the case e proceeded to ehaw by reference to he priee-libts themselves. Present rices of good ti for cash and credit are* iven, with former rates in parenthesis, 'lour, lUO's, 14 6 cash, los booked {l4s »a cash); oatmeal, 4s cash and 4s ttd Ooked (4s (id ana 4s i)d); sugar, 8s i)d lid i)s 3d (9s cash, %3d booked); keroiene, 4s lid and 4s S)d (4s S)d cash); andles, 7d and 8d; sultanas, 5d and Ud cash (id) j currants 4d and 5d (cash , l / u d)j J3. & P. cornflour, Is 3d and s 4d (cash Is 4d); golden syrup, Tibs., s Sd and Is 10d (h Ud cash); Oil nd 7d (7d ca*h). tie instanced the line irotits on .some articles. Van llouten's ocou, bought at lOil, stocked, sold, and elivered at customer's door lid per tin; .erosene, cost 8s sil to 8s 7d, stocked, he customer waited on, and a horse, art, and driver sent out with a case t !)s; JJ. & IJ.1 J . cornllour, cost sy a d, sold

at Od per packet, delivered in town 01 suburb for cash.

Continuing, lie remarked tluit there was no chance of the grocers making a fortune out of the grocery business. "The public seem to take a totally opposite view," was the rejoinder. "Well, 1m prepared to sell out today to any one of them who- is anxious

to try fortune-making in this line of business ill New Plymouth. Vou can't point to a single case in which, during the past twenty years, any grocer luis made a competency in business. One or two have made money on which they have retired, but those were cases in which I liey managed to sell their connection at a good figure. 1 expect there isn't a grocer here that wouldn't sell out at a fair figure." The reporter remarked tliat that was a slight, digression from the matter about which the newspaper readers were concerned, but the victim of the interviewer said it was much to the

point. Acquiring a competency was 110 easy matter, he said, when goods were sold at New Plymouth prices. This was one of the cheapest towns of its size in the Dominion. "All! That sounds like 'copy. 1 ' llow

do you prove that?" •" By reference to this list of prices issued by the Labour Department. This list shows the prices of commodities charged in the secondary towns of New Zealand on Ist March last. I suppose it's a fair tiling to compare New Plymouth with Napier, for conditions are very similar. Let us compare New Plymouth, Napier, Mastcrton, and Nelson, at haphazard. Here's llour, 201b5., New Plymouth 3s 6d, Napier Is 3d, Ifasterton 4s, Nelson 4s; currants, 4VSjd, sd, 4d, and (id; 251bs. oatmeal, 4s 6d, sa, Is (id, 4s (id; cotl'ee, 2s, Is 10d, Is lOd, Is 8d; sugar, s(ilbs., 8s 6d, 'Js lid, Oh Dd. 8s (M; kerosene, per tin, 4s Dd, 4s 9d, 4s (Id, ss; candles (Premier), per 7d, H'/ud, (Id, s'/ 2 (l; Price's candles, Bd, By,d, Bd. and 7d; tea, average price per lb., Is lid, Is Ad, 2s, and 2s; and so 011 So you see that the New Plymouth public are not robbed by the grocer. There

an- lines in whirh' we are beaten by other similar towns, but very often this is the result of the establishment of factories locally. Ilere we have 110 soap, candle, or jam factory, you see." " Hut, according to that list, it payi better in a'town to have 110 jam factory. 1 notice that Gisborne, Napier, New Plymouth, Masterton, Wanganui, I'alim-rston North, Oeymouth, and Timaru all sell 'second grade' jam cheaper than Nelson, the home of the jam industry." This was found to be the ease, but in first-grade jam Nelson charged (id per lb., New Plymouth, Wanganui, and most other towns the same price, Gisborne and Palnierstou North being a penny cheaper, and Napier a penny higlier. ■' 111 conclusion, I would like you to tell your readers," s aid the grocer, "that, we are doing our business on the yellowest lines that we can for cash, a;id that the cash customer is easily the best oil' under the present arrangement.

Tliere ha ri been an absolute reduction of profits for cash. We expected criti-c-ism, and have found it. But we havo had the satisfaction already of seeing that the hulk of the cash people recognise that we are considering them, and many former booking customers have? become ' cash-at-the-door' purchasers/'