Adams] SHONTO: ROLE OF NAVAHO TRADER 181 



manager, not a salesman." The statement accurately reflects the view 

 of most traders to the effect that, thanks to a protected consumer 

 market, sales take care of themselves. Wliatever income is received 

 in the community will inevitably come to the trading post, so that 

 the trader's principal concern is not to promote the outflow of goods 

 to the highest level which can be sustained, but rather to hold it down 

 to that level through credit restriction. 



Trading posts have never found it necessary to advertise, partly 

 because of their protected position and partly because their clientele 

 has been largely illiterate in any case. The recent widespread intro- 

 duction of battery-powered radios is beginning to alter the picture, as 

 off-reservation merchants increasingly bid for the Navaho trade with 

 commercials and whole programs in the Navaho language. Traders 

 so far have done little or nothing to retaliate, but continue to count 

 on receiving their share of the Navaho trade without any special 

 inducement. 



The one consistent principle of trading-post sales promotion is 

 "they won't buy what they can't see." Like its cousin the rural gen- 

 eral store, the average trading post presents an indescribably clut- 

 tered appearance (cf. Carson, 1954, p. 14; Nystrom, 1930, p. 81), with 

 every available inch of wall and ceiling space, and often a good deal 

 of floor space as well, devoted to merchandise displays. This is in 

 general the nearest approach to sight display that is made, or that 

 is considered necessary. The store may not present an appearance 

 conducive to brisk transactions, but at least every type of merchan- 

 dise carried is in sight. Shonto Trading Post often has as much as 

 75 percent of its total stock actually on display within the store. 



Modern trading posts generally follow a uniform one- price policy, 

 in marked contrast to general stores of a century ago (Carson, 1954, 

 p. 93). The use of leaders and discounts is rare. Shonto Trading 

 Post, however, employs both devices to a limited extent for the 

 purpose of attracting Navaho trade from outside the community. 

 Flour and shoes are the store's perennial leaders, and are sold at 

 prices substantially below those offered by neighboring trading 

 posts. Flour prices are believed to be especially important because 

 flour is still the largest selling single item, in terms of total volume, 

 in the northwestern Navaho country. On this one item Shonto con- 

 tinues to follow a multiple-price policy, offering one price on credit, 

 a reduced price for cash, and, where feasible, a specially reduced 

 price to persons from outside the community. Volume discounts 

 of 5 percent or so are occasionally offered on such staples as coffee 

 and sugar to speed sales during lamb and wool seasons. 



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