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,