Typed as spelled - Lena Stone Criswell
THE DAILY DEMOCRAT
Thirty-First Year - Number 172
Marlin, Texas, Friday, November 20, 1931
CLASSIFICATION TALK
HEARD BY ROTARY CLUB
Retailing as Seen by Dry-Goods Man
Discussed by Luncheon
Speaker
Retailing as seen by a dry-goods dealer was discussed by R. E. Cox, Jr., in a
classification talk featuring the program at the regular weekly luncheon of the
Marlin Rotary Club in the Hilton hotel today.
Dr. A. C. Hornbeck was chairman and two visitors were presented, Rev. H. L.
Munger, pastor of the First Methodist church of Marlin, and B. B. peterson, of
Kilgore.
"Seeking goods for resale has an interesting evolution," Mr. Cox said as he
traced the first traders, such as found pictured in the travels of Marco Polo,
or in the imaginary journeys of Sinbad, teh sailor, in the Arabian Nights.
"From the twelfth, including the sixteenth century, fairs and markets were the
chief centers of commerce.
"The itinerant merchant played an important role in America during the colonial
days as well as in the earlier part of the nineteenth century. As time
progressed, merchants settled in fixed locations, and the old time general store
came into existence.
"From the general store originated the various kinds of stores of today," Mr.
Cox explained.
"A store is really a service institution," he continued. It exists for the
purpose of satisfying the wants of its customers."
"Something of what a merchant owes to the public" was touched upon by the
speaker, who explained:
"The community rightfully expects of the merchant not only assortments of
merchandise, but the best qualities obtainable for the price asked.
"It is also the duty of the merchant to truthfully advertise. Merchandise
and values should be truthfully represented as they really are."
Various phases of buying and selling were discussed, also turnover, the speaker
concluding:
"Reailing is constantly changing. New methods are coming in, and a successful
store must keep up with the times. They should not gt in a rut and stay
there."
*****
Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart
and her volunteers for printing
by The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas.