OCR Text |
Show EKGUSH CO-OPERATIVE STORES. It U a little liogular that Americana Ameri-cana have never attempted to start cooperative stores, which enterprises have thrived so wonderfully in England. Eng-land. Toe people of this country are generally ve.y quick to adapt to their cwn uses the money-saving contrivances contri-vances of foreigners, bat in the matter of cooperative oiercaoti-6 eatabii'ja meats one of the best arraugeaieais (or saving money ever devised taey have never Uken kind j to tje idea. . It is posdibla that Americans, wbiie they may be as honest aa Eo-ishrnen, have leas cocdJenee in their fel.ow men than our British ccuiina. In ih-,s country man is iuil of distrust, aru though the rule is not without exceptions, excep-tions, he is very apt to took cpon every otaer man as a sharper rut to be trujted too far. la the purely cooperative store the shareholders mast bare the mcjt absolute coed dence in the honesty and integrity of everybody connected w.th ltd mnie meat: and the managers must a. so preserve that conddence by toeir actions, ac-tions, la L'uh there are the nearest approachea to tne EogVa ccapera-tive ccapera-tive stores to be found in America; yet they amount simply to jJint stock companies or associations. The only real d.fferecca between be-tween them and ordinary mercantile homes is, that the co-Ooerative institutions insti-tutions have numerous stockholders, whose self-interest leads them to trade at these stores, whereas the pr,va; stores are owned by one or lew individuals indi-viduals who share the gics and looses. The business of all is conducted up-.n l ie same general pr ocpia of merchandising. mer-chandising. The cooperative system as applied in England is d. Cerent. Aa association is formed, osuai'y of persona per-sona engaged in the tan line of boainesa, or work, as factory oprti , iron makers, etc. The Pt ck is divided among thse peop.a, and oa'f they can fjbtaiQ too alvanta-M of t;.e sy'.em; that id. in order to buy g sA at a cooperative store, oca mit be a snaraho.Jer in the concern. A comparatively com-paratively smil capita is required, for lar? stocks and general assortment assort-ment of goodi are not necestry to be carried, tr,e intention beicsj otily to satisfy the r q iiremsnts of customers custom-ers wtiow gnerl woU are in tt.e main aiize ar:d known. An Agent of the company buys at wholesale at toe lowest market rates, and in turning the gxxJs over to the consumer every etlbrt is made to fcep down the cot to the lowest figure tnat the necewitiee of distribution will permit. Custom is not sourjt after, m that is already obtained and is retfiiar; be no, there is no need tj spend money for corpicrjo'-ji q'lartert, or in attractive decoration, advertising or cthr wiy for drawing buyers. There is no competition, with its attendant expenses. T';ie Lumber of M'm'n is a'o no larjter than is aUio'u'ely ncewary, and hii(h priced clerks whrne p'etinic manners and "fascinating w7'' draw cuitomerf are no belter than the cheaper mm who knows how to handle trie yardstick af.d tie up grjirie. There is no tet that a cmtomer will be lost if be has to wait before being served, as the customer is certain to go tJOwi,re eiso to buy what Lo wanti, T;.e goods are not fi.l uome to th i t'.iyt, and thus ar.oJir corni lorab.'e (X-peni (X-peni id avoided, A person sometimes some-times attrib-iU' the pending of his purctiM's bo'nj to li.e lioermfy of the mercQAot, b it this is a rni-t ip, Tne delivery wi',ni are paid t-,r, and your proportion ol the est will be in yonr bill. You also contribute to wards ele((irit windows, handsotne p'lished countArs, ornamental painting, paint-ing, and all the other attractions that the mercijinl must prpent in order to inrluee O'ntorn, It will be serin that in the English cooperative (tores a val paving is rn vy in the cit of aexefs t' the i:'jstonier. The s'f "kboidir rv 'u i'iy obtfiini liis suppliff at prir-'i (. pr ixim'.inf; the wholes! est, A small prcntai is put upon tiirn to covr the lig)it expense for b ml ling, and should th?re be anything left in the o-irn-pane's trpaaury at the end of the quarter or year, it in riturnd as a dividend lo the sfrn-k holders. Ho reserve re-serve fund is nrifded, l-erarme thre are no impending losses to g'Mrtl giut Or provde for, ft is said that U.o trslnrs at tlcse store nhtain th"ir (wli at a reduetirin nf from h U) Wf pnr cent on tii' ir ordinary r t-il price in othT es'-ihlishniTils. The ftdvsnUr'S of the ttn nrn so apparent that it is a wonder it ,n not li'Ti aI'ipt'd in Afimri'an ci'.i"s, and p trlifinlar ly in minirig and fo-i,ty fo-i,ty dntriet, wliere iri"n and women oafinot aMord to pay for the "style" that the inerehiril rnnl up aWout his sl-iie. ' |