WHAT IS A MODEL STOCK? 37
6. To regulate buying by a buying calendar that shows in
detail when resources are likely to be able to supply goods to
our best advantage.
After all, the merchant’s real task is buying for the public.
The economic reason for our store’s existence is that we fulfil
a need in collecting merchandise in large quantities into a
centralized place convenient for a large number of people
to come to and buy in smaller quantities.
As we know, it is our function to bring into our store what
our customers need or want. Then we must offer it to them
in the right styles, varieties, kinds, and models, at the lowest
prices. These prices, in order to bring us the greatest total
profits, should be only high enough on each item to bring us
a legitimate reward for our services. The better and more
scientifically we perform this service the greater will be our
total profits and the more valuable the goodwill of our busi-
ness. The customer is the final judge whose decision makes
or breaks our success as merchants.
A Model Stock, as we have already seen, is comprised of
three full lines at the three price levels which move stocks
rapidly. A full line may be defined as a stock of any given
class of goods which includes every variety of style, in every
color, in every size, and in every material that a customer
can reasonably expect to obtain at the given price. This,
in turn, calls for explanation of what constitutes “a given
class of goods.”
Let us take women’s dresses as an example. In the
store where the Model Stock Plan was developed by experi-
ence, women’s dresses today can be bought for as low as
$2 and as high as $165. Part of the range of prices between
these two extremes is as follows:
[nexpensive.................
Medium. ... Ce
Better.
$ 2.00 $ 6.00
11.00 17.00
29.80 20.50
$9.00
23.00
| 20.00
_ Plainly, if this store is following the Model Stock Plan,
its merchandisers do not consider women’s dresses ‘‘a given
class of goods.” In fact, there are several subdivisions,
