180 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BuU. 188 



Table 28. — Classified inventory of Shonto Trading Post — Continued 



FEED 



INVENTORY CONTBOL 



Lack of operating capital, limited warehouse space, and extreme 

 diversity of products handled, all conspire to dictate a policy of ex- 

 tremely limited inventory for the modern trading post. Such a prac- 

 tice is of course an outgrowth of regular biweekly supply, and is in 

 marked contrast to the practice necessarily followed in the days of 

 infrequent and uncertain transportation (cf. Carson, 1954, pp. 150- 

 151; Atherton, 1939, p. 40). Shonto Trading Post is so committed 

 to hand-to-mouth buying that the store seldom carries more than 2 or 

 3 weeks' supply of most items — often just enough to last until the next 

 order can be delivered. Even where volume discounts or special buys 

 are available it is unusual if more than a few month's supply of any 

 item is laid in. Shonto's owner has stated that it should ideally be 

 possible to hold retail inventory to $5,000, although in practice it is 

 commonly nearer to $10,000. 



Extremely limited inventories, particularly in groceries, necessitate 

 careful attention to ordering. Even so, modern Navaho trading posts 

 are famous among their clientele for being out of several items at one 

 time. This condition is a source of considerable customer ill will, and, 

 according to some Navahos, is a prime reason for shopping in town 

 rather than patronizing the trading post. 



It is generally believed by traders, at least on the western portions 

 of the Navaho Reservation, that Indians are not quality conscious. 

 This belief is strongly reflected in trading-post inventories, where it 

 is standard policy to carry only the cheapest brands in any line. Sup- 

 pliers of the Navaho trade do a lively business m seconds and economy 

 lines, particularly in groceries and dry goods. Trading posts are al- 

 most never found to carry more than one brand of any item on dis- 

 play at the same time. The one-brand policy is due in part to consid- 

 erations of inventory control, and partly also to the common feeling 

 that competing brands confuse the Navaho customer and slow down 

 trading. 



SALES PROMOTION 



A trader of long experience on the Navaho Reservation has stated 

 to the writer: "What it takes to run one of these places is a credit 



