TOPICS FOR TRADESMEN

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17251, 19 August 1916, Page 6

TOPICS FOR TRADESMEN

[FeOU, OCE COBSESPOItDSNT.] LONDON, July 1 DISPLAYING SIDE-LINES.

The many side-lines of the boot and shoe shop, such, as laces, polishes, 'rubber heels, protectors, socks, and so on, are. apparently stocked by retailers merely in case they should ever be asked for by customers. Very little window space is ever devoted to .these side-lines, aud their possibilities as pro-fit-bringers aro ignored. But these goods, handled, in tbo proper way, would prove to be of good selling value. Whatever efforts a shopkeeper can: make to improve his returns he should carry, into effect, and whatever he can display in his window, consistent with his I usual stock-in-trade, he should display, and with one object—to sell. The lines should be shown prominently, both in the window' and in the general display insido the shop, priced attractively, and, further, be talked about to customers. One shoeseller recently carried out a successful experiment in this direction. He had a special display of laces for one week-end, a window being devoted solely to laces of all kinds,, well ticketed, the fact that they were still being .supplied at old pricey being brought out prominently. The window caused a mild sensation,, thereby proving an excellent, advertisement for the establishment, besides which 30‘s worth of laces were sold on the Friday and s Saturday, the two days of the display. Such an idea is certainly worth copying and developing. STORAGE OF FLOUR. During the fluctuations of the wheat market at'the present time bakers do not like' to keep bn -hand, any larger supply ,of flour than is'necessary, but the aclvontages gained by storing flour are certainly worthy of consideration. While flour is “ aging :! for, say, sixty days, although there is generally a loss in the moisture content of flour under favourable storage conditions, still the gain in absorption .more than makes up’this loss. It is not necessary to. look at this question of flour storage from. the financial point of view alone, as in quality nnd uniformity of. bread there is a very decided improvement. It is'difficult nr.d requires more attention to make a good loaf from freshly-ground flour, than from aged flour, and bakers not. accustomed to handling fresh flour are liable to experience difficulty. Flour should be stored in a- light, dry, well-ventilated room, having a temperature cf 70 to 75 degrees! ."it.should he so piled 'that every sack will have access to a circulation of air. ■ If flour is kept too hot it not only ages very rapidly , but has a tendency- to deteriorate. The gluten loses its strength and has a short feeding in the dough. On the other hand;" if it- is kept too cold .it does not age } at all: it is the same as keeping '■ it in a cold storage plant, where it remains in the same condition as when it was placed there. Flour is -very susceptible to surrounding conditions. It will take up readily any odour with which it comes in contact, and it has also a tendency to hold it very decidedly. "When flour is placed in a damp atmosphere it takes up the moisture from tho air easily and does not pass through this aging process. It'is liable .to become musty,'or if suddenly taken from a damp storage and placed in a dry, warm atmosphere often cakes in the centre of thejsßck or barrel. These suggestions, 1 which were made at a recent meeting' of bakers, show the advantage of aging flour "*> well as the necessity for extreme care in its storage. A DRAPERY TIP. Lack of system in the handling of dress goods is on© of tho reasons why in many drapery establishments ■' these stocks do not ‘‘com© out right' 1 ®t stock-taking time. In order to keep his stock fresh and moving* a London draper fixes on each bolt a metalbound tag on which h noted-the date when tho goods came into th© shop. Each week stocks are gone through for tho purpose of discovering lots that mav be selling too slowly. >■ As soon a® a bolt of goods is thus found, and is reduced in’ price, the tag attached to it is blue-pencilled directly inside the metal ring which surrounds the tag. This blue circle shows at a glauc© which .of the goods are alow sellers, and the assistants have instructions' to make special efforts to effect the sale of these. By means of this date ticket a watch can be kept on the length ot time each piece of goods has been in slock. ’ On-staple goods one year is the limit in this house, while novelty fabrics aro “condemned” after six months. After a lot has “overstayed its time” drastic measures are adopted, the goods being priced with the sole intentions of clearing them out. MAKING CHEAP GOODS PAY. Every shop sells some. low-priced goods, and ought, says a business expert, to advertise the fact whether -it is an exclusive, a medium-price, or a popular price concern- The proper retailing of low-priced goods, i.e., quick turnover and moderate profit, constitute one of the most powerful policies in modern salesmanship. O at low-priced goods must.be handled with car© and judgment, if they aie to do their share in building up tradeProperly featured, they give the publ c the impression that an establishment operates under peculiar advantages end can buy so advantageously ilia* it can sell in the same way. \\rong> featured, low-priced goods do yost We opposite; they make customers think th© shop only handles cheap goods. IVhen customers are convinced that a 3 bop can sell under_ peculiar advantages the shop will gam a big steady following of the kind that grows. The purpose of low-priced &edm£ is to keep uo steady day by coy shopping, and 1-v keep always before the public tho idea, of “ good value for the money. Better class goods may be. and rrequontlv are, good value for the money, Im‘{. tliev do not emphasise the idea s well as "low-priced goods do. (hie of the dangers of-tho low-priced policy is that of falling into selling cbca.p goods in ,order to meet competition. Jew can resist the temptation to the other fellow ” in bargains, but this is not at all wuse if in doing, it the customers confidence m one s goods and values is lost- A shopkeeper may stock just the same lines as his competitor and may be ablo to sell them just as low or lower, but he should not buv them, in the market, with the thought of under-sclhng, but- with the thought of giving his customers, or ?nv "of his competitor s customers he can fo,irly get, 'the; best for their money- ,