54 
THE MODEL STOCK PLAN 
advertising, or, more probably, a mark-down is the solution. 
In no instance, however, should he, merely to avoid a mark- 
down, resort to “smart” salesmanship in persuading cus- 
tomers to purchase something not suited to their individual 
needs and tastes. While it might temporarily improve his 
profits, it will gravely endanger the goodwill of the business. 
+ This kind of record should carry as its most important 
part a record of the profits less the loss on mark-downs from 
every single resource. After all, this is what most interests 
the merchant. Every record, as is true of the whole Model 
Stock Plan, is designed to help us to increase our total profits. 
Our purpose is to help each buyer and merchandise manager 
to increase the total profit of his department. More and 
more profits will come as a result of the profit-making 
methods of the Model Stock Plan. 
Nothing else could be more valuable for the buyer than to 
have in his pocket and to consult constantly a record of the 
profit he is making from a firm from which he has been buying 
and from which he is about to buy again. After all, the 
buyer’s future is depending upon the profits he makes from 
each resource—not upon the beautiful decorations of its 
showrooms nor upon how skilfully its live models display 
the samples. And the producer, the manufacturer, should 
be just as much interested as the buyer; the producer whose 
goods regularly yield us a good profit does not have to worry 
about losing our trade. The type of buyer who will hold his 
position and make a real success will, when he has these 
facts available, continue to deal through thick and thin with 
a profitable resource, for on his department’s profit showing 
the buyer’s reputation and earnings depend. 
This information is so valuable, and yet so infrequently 
compiled by retailers, that it deserves to be brought very 
emphatically to the attention of retail merchants.! If more 
attention were given to this question, it would result in 
! How this record is used in purchasing is described in detail in Chap. XI, 
Pp. 151. The profit record of each resource is of material assistance in select- 
ing resources and in dealing profitably with them; the record is perhaps even 
more valuable in buving than in stock control.