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.