CENTERS OF THE INDUSTRY 25 



tunately most large cities possess good credit bureaus 

 which have made the life of those endeavoring to obtain 

 false credit, a very unsatisfactory one. The loss from 

 poor accounts in an average well-managed flower shop 

 should be exceedingly small ; in fact, it should be less than 

 one half of one per cent. Salesmen should at no time be 

 permitted to give credit to anyone without particular per- 

 mission from the manager or office unless the parties 

 be steady customers and well known. The bookkeeper 

 naturally has the most available information regarding 

 credits and he passes judgment as to whether or not charges 

 are permissible. His instructions are to permit no one, 

 the manager excepted, to give credit to anyone whose 

 business dealings are at all questionable. This leaves but 

 a small fraction of one per cent to be lost in a year's 

 business. It also prevents a vast amount of work in the 

 office, mailing bills to slow customers, and eliminates long 

 periods of watching and waiting by the collection depart- 

 ment. 



" It is certainly wisdom to keep undesirable parties off 

 the books, and it is equally advisable not to enter into any 

 controversies with them regarding payment. Prompt 

 collections are essential, but nothing is gained in quarrel- 

 ing with the buying public. 



" A good business system is to mail the bills the first 

 and second months. They are then given into the hands 

 of a collector for the two succeeding months. This is 

 followed by a courteous letter requesting immediate pay- 

 ment, and then a stronger letter is sent. If checks are 

 not then forthcoming, the bills are turned over to an 

 attorney for whatever action he may advise." 



23. Commission houses, history of. Commission 

 houses are established in nearly all large cities, for the 



