MAKING MARK-DOWNS PAY A PROFIT 103% 
with the necessity for many future mark-downs which by 
any other plan of merchandising we could not avoid. 
We feel free to take mark-downs under the Model Stock 
Plan because we know that by employing its principles we 
turn an apparent loss into an actual gain. Whereas, pre- 
viously, we were reluctant to take a mark-down until we 
were forced to conclude that it was unavoidable, we now take 
a mark-down whenever we doubt whether any goods have the 
value to justify keeping them in their present full line. 
This whole question of mark-downs is closely interrelated 
with the selling calendar. In the explanation of the selling 
calendar! we shall see that we must provide the date for 
closing out each class of goods, not for the department as a 
whole nor for the three full lines at one time but for each full 
line separately—beginning with the highest-priced full line. 
This not only means that mark-downs in the highest-priced 
full line should be made earlier but it also means that, finally, 
a date shall be set on which the entire stock at the highest 
price shall be marked down to the best-selling full line. As 
a rule, the best drawing card for the highest-priced full line 
will be regular de luxe department goods marked down to 
the highest full-line price. The same thing is true of mark- 
ing down highest-priced full line goods to the best-selling full 
line, and so on all the way down. 
Since we provide a date when each full line must be marked 
down and closed out, starting with the de luxe, following with 
the highest-priced full line, and taking the rest in turn as their 
seasons pass, it becomes clear that under this process there 
will come a time when we shall have in the store no goods 
of the past season above the cheapest full line and, eventually, 
no goods left over from the previous season except unquestionable 
staples. 
Each of these mark-downs from one full line to the other 
is an adequate reason for drawing large crowds and increasing 
the sales of the department and the store. These sales 
will come in ordinarily slack times. So thereisa big advan- 
tage here in keeping busy the sales force that we should carry 
1 Chapter XI, p. 147.