Buying at Wholesale. 351 



for a quarter. At the same time I bought by the dozen at fifty- 

 five cents, or about four and one-half cents each. At ten cents, I 

 paid more than 100 per cent, profit. Don't they get broken in 

 coming? I lately ordered one dozen No. i size, and one dozen 

 No. 2 size, from a wholesale house, and not one was broken. I 

 could give you many more illustrations of the difference in cost 

 between buying at retail and at wholesale, but enough has been 

 said certainly to establish my point, that buying at wholesale is 

 by far the cheaper way. 



In the second place, it is the least trouble, as I have hinted 

 above. The fall is the most natural time to lay in supplies, per- 

 haps, and one is most apt to have the money to spare then. I 

 make out a list of groceries and send it to a big wholesale and 

 retail store. They send me the amount it comes to, and I forward 

 my check on bank in Cleveland for the amount. A money order 

 or registered letter would carry it as safely. Then I go to the 

 depot once and bring home a large part of our year's supply and 

 pack it away. My wife does not have to be everlastingly telling 

 me she is out of this thing or that, which is anything but pleasant 

 for her, perhaps. Did you ever think, when you express surprise 

 that your wife has used up all the sugar, or raisins, that it implies 

 that she has been extravagant, and it hurts her feelings, when 

 probably you ate the largest share of the articles yourself ? I like 

 this part of the buying by quantity greatly. I always disliked to 

 be everlastingly getting little messes. My time is worth too 

 much. It is too much like the mixed farming I used to do, with 

 its numerous little worries. I do like to feel that a year's sup- 

 plies, for the most part, are laid in and paid for, and no further 

 trouble. I can gaze on my tank of oil, barrel of sugar, box of 

 Ivory soap, bags of coffee, chest of tea, year's supply of flour, 

 etc., with deep satisfaction every time I go past them. It is very 

 seldom we have to go to town for something we are out of. There 

 are a few things that will not keep good for a year, and not but a 

 few. Raisins, for example, are better fresh. But tea, spices, 

 ginger, mustard, baking powder, etc., can be kept almost any 

 length of time in tight cans. Mason fruit cans are excellent for 

 this purpose. Our coffee we buy in the berry, unburned, because 

 it will keep any length of time, and we know it is pure. 



Again, I know that by buying of a large city firm one can 

 get a better class of goods, in many cases. The country or small-town 

 retail dealer does not have a class of customers often that demands 

 the best and are willing to pay for it. We growl much about 

 adulteration, and then go to the store often and buy a cheap 

 article. Cheap, cheap is the great cry, and purity suffers accord- 

 ingly. A man can get pure goods in almost any line, if he will 

 pay for them. Out State Food Commissioner went into the store 

 where we buy our goods and took samples of every article that is 

 likely to be adulterated, entirely unbeknown to them, buying a 



