MARKETING OF DAIRY PRODUCTS 233 



consumer but at a high marketing cost. Milk and sweet cream 

 are delivered from the central milk plant to the consumer at a 

 reasonable cost as they are delivered to regular customers at 

 regular intervals, and routes for economic distribution of such 

 products are readily established. 



i. Selling to Local Retailers. The local market claims 

 several advantages: First, it saves in transportation expenses 

 and thereby either reduces the cost to the consumers or in- 

 creases the profits of the local dealers. Second, it educates the 

 people to demand a product of higher quality, as a perishable 

 product usually appeals most favorably to our sense of taste 

 while it is fresh, and often creamery butter sold in a town will 

 take the place of farm butter which is commonly of inferior 

 quality. Third, the consumers' demand for better quality re- 

 sults in no call for the poorer grades of farm butter. The cream 

 which was formerly converted into farm butter will be sold 

 to the creamery, giving the farmer a more satisfactory return 

 and enabling the creamery to reduce its operating expenses per 

 pound of butter manufactured. Fourth, it is of advertising 

 value to the creamery to have its products sold by all local 

 dealers. 



If the creamery is located in a city it is often most satis- 

 factory to establish regular routes and have a wagon call and 

 deliver goods to retail dealers at regular intervals. Such a sys- 

 tem is very satisfactory when handling butter and cheese. The 

 same wagon might also deliver eggs if they are handled by the 

 firm. This wagon driver becomes a salesman for his firm, and 

 soliciting of new trade and keeping customers pleased are, to a 

 certain extent, left to him. The manager should always keep 

 himself posted on the condition of the business on each route. 

 It is convenient for him to have a map of the city in his office on 

 which the routes are shown. All dealers may be indicated on 

 the map by colored pins or pegs. Prospective customers may 

 be indicated by black pegs, active customers by white-colored 

 pegs, etc. It may be advisable also to have colors indicating 

 the nature of the business of the retailer so as to know whether 

 he operates a grocery, a confectionery, or a drug store. After 



