OCR Text |
Show DELIVER YOUR OWN PACKAGES Ida Tarbell, the famous writer, says In tho February Woman's home Companion, in an article about women wo-men carrying their own packages and ordering more selslbly. '"The cost In men and money of thoughtless ordering Is staggering. Since the Government turned Its attontlon at-tontlon to tills matter, various careful care-ful investigations huvo been mado with a result that really ought to make us all ashanned of ourselves, that is, if we have any feeling at all, as most people have, for tho orderly, or-derly, efficient doing cf things. One caroful research body declares that In the ordinary retail grocery stores of the country the expense of delivery de-livery Is three per cent of tho not sales. It was found that In Wash-, lngton City seven and one fourth per' cent of the gross sates of all products prod-ucts was spent In delivery. I "The Commercial Economy Board,' a committee of .tho Council for Na-J tlonal Defense, hns been pushing the problem of delivery' reforms the hardest. It declares that wo could easily release half the men, the monoy, and the equipment employed In delivery If we would set about 't in an intelligent and determined fashion. fa-shion. '"Something of what this means will be seen if we consider what It takes simply to take caro of tho work of tho retail grocery stores of the' country. Thero are moro than 200,-000 200,-000 of these shops. They employ over 100,000 men In deliveries, and as many wagons and trucks. Tltu cost of the business la something Ilk H 175,000.000 a year." 'M |