Volume 1

Practical grocer : a manual and guide for the grocer, the provision merchant and allied trades / by W.H. Simmonds ; with contributions by specialists, trade experts and members of the trades ; illustrated by a series of separately-printed plates.

  • Simmonds, W. H.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Practical grocer : a manual and guide for the grocer, the provision merchant and allied trades / by W.H. Simmonds ; with contributions by specialists, trade experts and members of the trades ; illustrated by a series of separately-printed plates. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    128/330 (page 96)
    theless, a good deal depends on the man himself; for if he is known to the wholesale houses as thoroughly well qualified in his Wholesale trade, energetic, strictly honest, punctual, and honour- Credit. able jn pjs (jea]jngS.—jn a WOrd, likely to “get on” and become a first-rate customer,—there are many ways in which he can be helped. What he has to do is to show himself worth the helping. The main essentials for the young beginner are thus summarized from experience:—“ i. Complete knowledge of the trade. 2. See that you have sufficient capital to be able, if required, to pay cash down for everything when commencing. 3. Do not overbuy for the sake of any extra 2d. per dozen profit, but buy according to the trade you do. By this means you will be able to pay the accounts as they fall due, and so save in dis- count in one year your rent and rates. 4. Strict attention to little details, and avoid as much as possible all waste and leakage. 5. Civility to either man, woman, or child, no matter what they purchase. 6. Be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove. 7. Let every young man have a possible idea or plan, and have for his motto ‘ This one thing I do ’ until it is accomplished.” Acting on such principles from the commencement, our be- ginner will have his well-thought-out plan, and this will include The First a very careful estimate of the stock he will maintain Stock- from week to week. Thus, supposing he is commenc- ing with a total capital of ^500, he will probably do well to allot not more than ^250 for the first stock purchase. If his capitahbe but ^250, about ^130 will be the figure for stock. It being our principle to give the advice of practical men wherever possible, we may quote the following hints on the purchase of stock:— Teas.—“ I should buy blended teas for a start, as I should not sell enough at first to enable me to blend my own without locking up too much of my capital.” Butter.—“ I believe in keeping the finest Danish for the best, and not in selling secondary butter for the best.” On this point note that the quality of Irish creamery butter has been greatly improved, and this may be well worth trying if the retailer is a judge of butter. In a working-class district margarine should also be stocked.