Newspaper Page Text
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11. ISOT.
| Giaipkerlin-JoHnson-DuBose Company | Chamberlin - Johnson - DuBose Company [ Chamberlin - Johnson - DuBose Company
To Knew a Man, Observe How He Wihs His Object Ratksr
Than Hqw He Loses It; For When We Fail, Our Prick
Supports Us—When Ws Succssd, It Betrays Us
. This store is sole.
It is unique, uncommon, singular—the
only one of its kind; therefore without
equal.
Today we state some interesting facts
that all retail buyers should read. We also
commend them to the consideration of our
competitors. Intelligent study of our meth
ods gives the inspiration that leads to bet
ter storekeeping generally, thereby pre
venting some of the unfortunate missteps
of merchandising.
The abnormal operation of nature gave
us the coldest April and May we have had
since 1867. This surprising climatic con
dition has affected retail merchants un
favorably, and in some instances, disas
trously. However, misfortunes, resulting
from the weather, have overtaken only
those dealers who conduct their affairs
blindly, recklessly or stupidly.
We are not going to pause here to point
out the blunders and errors of others. Ob-
.viously, they have found them out, and are
paying the penalty. Besides, were we to
enumerate their mistakes, the spirit and
motive that prompted us to do so, might be
misconstrued, thus destroying the useful
ness of such a policy. .
What do these advertising shrieks
mean? They clamor in the blackest type
from the pages of your newspapers. The
chorus of “Help Us or We Perish” in
creases in an ascending scale as new voices
from every direction are added to the sad
refrain. It would bo unkind for us to tell
you what they mean.
Out of the mass of screams there is one
note that rises clear and strong. It tells
you that thisretailor or some other retailer
is offering thousands and thousands of dol
lars’ worth of merchandise at a loss, at an
enormous sacrifice on account of the April
and May weather.
Leaving the obtrusive headlines, with
their story of calamity, and pemsing the
quotations of the items, we find that these
merchants claim to be selling goods at
about half price. (Were they true, the
■sheriffs of this country would be largely en
gaged in the retail business temporarily.)
Ninety-nine merchants out of every hun
dred have all their capital invested in their
businesses. Were they to sell goods at the
Wes they say they sustain and continue
to pay operating expenses concurrently,
they would bo bankrupt very soon.
The futility and absurdity of that sort
of advertising should appeal to the
thoughtful merchants to such an extent
that it would cease entirely^ We, in com
mon with other self-respecting, truth-tell
ing advertisers, deplore such tactics. We
never employ phrases or merchandise to
deceive you.
And now about ourselves.
We are selling more goods, giving our
customers more real bargains and making
more profits for ourselves than ever before
in the history of our business at this time
of the year—all on account of the unusual
ly cold weather that you have read, heard
and talked about so much.
The foregoing sounds different, doesn’t
it? Truth, in advertising, always does have
a rich, resonant ring. That’s one reason
why we stick to it.
To explain.
Our departmental buyers assembled in
New York, the latter part of last February,
to make their respective purchases for
Spring and Summer. The first few da^s
were spent in viewing the market in its
varying aspects. Conditions were dis
cussed with jobbers, manufacturers, im
porters, and commission merchants of wide
experience and prophetic vision. Each of
our buyers pursued these important in
vestigations individually—on his own hook.
Each received our encouragement to in
dulge in his own deductions and form his
own inferences and conclusions based upon
the information he had succeeded in gath
ering.
Then we discussed every phase of tho
market among ourselves in order to learn
the consensus of opinion. Knowledge, ob
servation and judgment impressed every
mind with one overwhelming fact: Prices
Were High.
New standards of value were being es
tablished by the productive mills of Europe
and America, affecting practically every
thing made of silk, wool, cotton, leather,
metal and wood.
The Silk masters of Lyons, France, and
the Calico makers of Lowell, Massachu
setts, had the same story to tell: “Running
day and night at high pressure and can’t
supply the demand for goods.” No won
der prices went skyward! Under such con
ditions we arrived at the only prudent con
clusion and permitted it to control our
actions. Our lino of argument was some
thing like this:
We kn<5w prices are high; we
know why they are. high, but we
do not know of any reason to jus
tify us in thinking that they will
go higher. If any change occurs
it will probably be reactionary
and falling prices will relieve the
tension. We summed up the sit
uation in just that way.
Then we decided upon the only sensible
course. Having convinced ourselves that
any change in the market would be to our
advantage, we determined to buy goods in'
a hand-to-mouth fashion—in limited quan
tities—selecting just enough of every line
to provide for our immediate needs—and
no more—except in lines where existing'
conditions would make continued advance
ment of prices the only logical result. In
these we bought heavily, and in many cases
are selling these now for less money than
we could buy them for today, but not at a
loss.
Spring business opened up tentatively
in March. Prosperity waved its magic
wand over the land and the volume of our
Marph sales increased $18,544.71 over the
corresponding month of a year ago. April
came and passed and business continued to
boom—here. Then May tripped to the fore
with her garlands frozen—and the times
came that try men’s souls.
But we had bought sparingly and our
stocks were low. Depletion and exhaustion
marked many of them.
The country shivered in the grip of
Boreas—sales began to slump off. (Our
sales for May showed an increase of only
$4,278.66.)
Are you following the thread of this
true story? Although it’s no romance, it
is intensely interesting.
Fell, notch by notch, the mercury in
May. Then it was that thousands of re
tailers, who had lost their balance of con
servatism, listening to the vivid accounts
describing the “scarcity of goods,” awoke
to a realizing sense that they had over
bought. In their February and March ef
forts to fortify themselves against the then
Chamberlin - Johnson - DuBose Co
existing and anticipated famine they had
over-reached themselves. Surpluses and
unsold balances, bought at high prices,
bought when “scarcity of goods” was a
fact and not a dream, bought when “mills
couldn’t supply the demand,” were bulky
and concrete evidence that they were in
deed overloaded. Now to the point.
Not one merchant out of a hundred is
financially able to meet such an emergency
in the way they advertise they are meeting
it, namely: By selling the goods at the
losses declared. That avenue of escape is
blocked because it would break them—if
the quantities they have on hand are ac
curately stated. We could stand a strain
relatively as great, and about manage to
pay our debts, but there would be nothing
left over.
In May our buyers returned to New
York. ,
Everything is changed since February.
Manufacturers, importers, jobbers and
commission merchants have few customers.
Anticipated reorders have not material
ized. Contracts for undelivered goods have
been canceled. Retailers who bought prod
igally have tales of woe. ■ May is crazy-
icicles glisten through the Btar dust. May
is inanimate so far as merchandising is
concerned. Manufacturers, importers now
realize Spring is slipping away. They must
“get busy” on Fall and Winter goods.
What’s to be done? Their stocks must ha
sold. Retailers are apathetic and. inert or
groaning, like themselves, with burdens of
surpluses.
Of course, they don’t tell us the above
in exact language. But the substance is
the same.
That’s all of our story.
You will have no trouble to fill in the
rest. We bought stingily early in the sea
son; others bought lavishly. When cold
weather created the reaction, we needed
goods, holders of goods needed the stock
rooms they filled, and our money besides.
Tliei’efore, we were in a position to secure
bargains—bargains in merchandise that
represents all kinds of merit. This combi
nation of conditions enable us to sell more
goods, giving our customers more real
value, and making more profit for our
selves than ever before in the history of our
business.