SELLING METHODS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 120, 15 February 1932, Page 23 (Supplement)

SELLING METHODS

Debt to Smithfield AN HISTORIC SITE Pioneer of Frozen Meat Trade How great a debt New Zealand owes io Smithfield Market in connection with the development of the frozen meat trade is not generally realised in the Dominion. Since 1880, when the 40 tons of meat ex the Strathleven from Australia was sold at sjd per lb to the present time when over 450,000 tons are being handled annually, the London Central Market has played an all-important part in the growth of the frozen meat industry. Smithfield handled and sold most of the first shipment from New Zealand, and In 1030 its salesmen dealt with over 75,000 tons from the Dominion. In their jubilee booklet “The Evolution of an Empire Market,” Messrs. Henry 8. Fitter and Sons Ltd., London, give an interesting account of the daily operations at Smithfield. At the London Docks the frozen meat is taken from the ships’ holds and placed in cold stores. Meat intended to be kept in any of the riverside stores is carried up the Thames in insulated lighters. The conveyance of meat to the cold stores adjoining .Smithfield Market Is made by insulated road transport direct from the ship’s side. The “pitching” of careases at Smithfield starts as from midnight, the firms sending their delivery orders to the cold stores with the necessary “pitching” instructions. On arrival at the market, groups of men known as "pitchers,” working in gangs of from four to six, place the various lots in the “shops” or “stalls,” the staffs of which arrive at about three or four o’clock in the morning. Orders previously booked are then weighed and prepared for delivery. The salesmen arrive about an hour later and prepare for the retailers, who start buying at any time from then onward until 1 p.m. On Friday, however, the market remains open until 3 o’clock. On Saturday there is hardly any trade at all, the retailers being too busy in their, own shops. Verbal Bargains. The'method of deciding the price is of interest to New Zealand. The. salesman states what he wishes to realise for his meat, and the buyer what he wants to give. Both, of course,

are roughly aware of what the price is from previous deals, and so, after some bargaining, the price is agreed upon. The .whole position, however, is governed by the "ruthless economic law of supply and demand,” so that a salesman has to decide quickly whether to let a customer go or take his price, and, conversely, a buyer as to whether he can do better or not elsewhere. ' Although thousands of pounds’ worth of business is effected in this way, it is noteworthy that it is nearly all done verbally; and very rarely, considering the amount of business transacted, does a dispute -take place, even with telephone orders. The sellers and buyers keep faithfully to their verbal bargains, there being, of course, little time to sign orders or contracts. All concerned realise that if they are to trade at all they must stand to theiF-word. On completion of the sale, the meat is “skewered” by either customer or salesman. The shopman then takes the meat off the hooks and weighs it, the sale note with weight and other particulars are handed to the desk - cashier, and the name of

the buyer “skewered” to the carcase, which is then hung aside to await the arrival of the customer’s carrier. Other Selling Methods. The other, methods of selling New Zealand meat are ex-store, ex-ship and c.i.f. In ex-store transactions the buyer "has a delivery- order on the cold store, enabling him to collect the meat by his own transport direct from the store, or rail it to the country. Ex-ship sales are useful to those buyers who have their own stores or who wish to rail the meat direct to the provinces. Government departments generally prefer this method. C.I.F. sales are also used for the same reason, but this form of dealing is more usual with speculators, contractors or multiple shop firms. In all cases, however, the method of bargaining is the same, though, of course, the delivery order or contract confirms the deal in the three latter cases. - Historic Smitlifield. The first mention bf Smithfield in history occurs in some court chronicles

of rhe tenth century, when it was known as Smoothfield, and was the play, archery and tournament field of the citizens of London, as well as the place of public executions. Many people were burned at the stake there in the sixteenth century. Smithfield was used as a live stock market as earlj' as 1150, in connection with Str Bartholomew’s Fair.

The Corporation of the City of London hold the market rights by charter granted by Parliament in 1312, the first year of the reign of Edward 111, which prohibited the formation of any cattle market elsewhere within seven leucas (about 14,000 paces) from Smithfield. • During the reign of Charles I a charter gave the corporation very precise and extensive powers over Smithfield Market. The corporation is the - market authority for City of London, and besides Smithfield owns and controls Islington Cattle Market, Billingsgate Fish Market, Leadenhall Retail Market, and Spitalfields Fruit and vegetable Market.

The first two sections of the present Central Market at Smithfield were

opened for trade in December, 1869, To-day the market, with its roadways, covers a space of about 10 acres. The total cost of acquiring the land, laying out the site and erecting the present buildings was £2.000,000.