

WATCHING CREDITS 



AND COLLECTIONS 



// W'lii lid mil liinur Clniiiis F. Hoi/li . '/"" "'''/ ii'diil hi n tnl lliis minli 

 1,1 liiis ifntit II (or 'I In l,'i ri( ir irln ii i/an hum In is jin suh nl nl I lionni^ /•'. 

 (liilrni. Inc.. jin snli itt ul lln .\ i ir !■! iifihi ml In hiil Flunsls' Assm ml mn uml 

 ( li'iirimni ui' tin hniinl at' <hri i hirs nf lln .\ < ir i'.iKjUiml Fhirisis' .Mlninri . 



.\rsr.\i, cciiidii idiis dill- 



iii'^ ;iihI since I lie war liavi' 

 bi-olljilit tli<' iclail tliirist 

 I'acf t (I I'aci' \\ It li I lie cdM 

 tacts cdllcrniiii;^ riiipiicv. 

 its iicccssit >•, its u^i. ami 

 aliusc, aiiil t lie penalty I'or 

 ilisrc^^Mrdiiiu any ot' tlicso. 

 It is only williiii recent 

 years that the tlorist, no 



inattei- in wliicli Ijrancli of the tiade 



enj^a^i'i'd, lias had tlic leyard I'er the 



fuMilanicntals of Imsincss that he shiJiild. 



and lias conic to see wliat. has Iji'en ac 



coiM|dislied by other s>icces>iiil husi 



ness linns jind to \-isnali/.e their ineth- 



dds. It liad lieen the cnstuni to neglect 



the iiiea of oollectinj,' money ler \aliie 



recei\('d, so lon<f as the other ]iarty 



was a fiood f(dlo\v. The Ifeline was 



stron<( that some day lie wmild ]ia\-, and 



ratiier then snj:{;<>st iiaynient, the lialiil 



was such that statenienfs were seldom 



reiideicd. 



The ]iossil)ility of deiiiaihliiie jiav 



iiieiit was ne\er heard of. and rare in 



deed were the occasions when drastic 

 action was eoiinte 



nanced. AnionjT retail 



ers it was nothinix ini 



usual to find tiiat tifty 



|>er cent of the custom 



ers allowed their ac 



counts to run from one 



to two years, thirty- 



tive |ier rent from two 



to tivo y(>ars, and fully 



tifteen [ler cent from 



tive to tiMi years. To 



offset this, the j^rowirs 



were com])elled to w.iit 



for their money, not 



the same lenj;th of 



'ime, hut always se\ 



'lal months. The tirst 



few months of each 



year were devoted to 



pnyinji accounts due 



from the jirevious ve.ar. 



Handicap. 



■'"'iich methocU \\i'r<' 



iiiisonnd ;ind d ned 



to f.ailiire those who 

 followed tlnin. 'I'hey 

 were the iinderl\ine 

 c.aUse of the reduced 



pros|ierity of tlorist s 

 ■ iiid formed the ma ior 

 reason for their iioii 

 |iro;,fressi veiiess .a n d 

 'heir l;ick of sio'ce^-. 

 Th.' .axcr.aj:!' Inisine-<s 

 ni.an d(>V(ded a sni.ill 

 portion of his time to 

 his liiisiness, coiii|i:ired 



By CHARLES F. BOYLE. 



with the axera^i' tlorist. and was emi 

 niiitly more vuccesst'iil. No other Im^i- 



n.'-.s wiillld pel-mit pli\ilei^es ot' credit 

 siicli .as were .allowed the ret.ail llorist'^ 

 c II ^1 on I I'. It li.as always liei-n the fi'i'liii'^ 

 that to ,aj'pro;i<-li ;i ciistcjiiier t'co' iiione\ 

 would end his p.atron.a^e then and theie. 

 Now.ad.ays. thi-i situation is re\i'rsed; 

 it' a customer doe u "t Ji.ay, he is refused 

 credit . 



The iii'i-essity .aiiil :ici\ now ledenienl 

 of proper linsinc'-s methods have lieL;uu 

 to o\'erconie this t'eelilie. (irowel- (pliti 

 eeiier.ally dein.and their nione\' and ;.;et 

 it. 'J'lie ret ailers, however, .alw.iys liein;^ 

 the liuffer lietweeii the ]iroducei and 

 the consumer, li.-ive man\- idher aiiele- 

 to 4'Onsider. St;ildli/ed credit is the 

 most necessary f.aclor tn one's Imsiuess 



tod.ay. This canned I Iit.aimd with 



out |pro]ier regulations :iiid a strict ad 

 hereiice to them. The credit or';;i n i/:i 

 tious h;i\e developed vvondelt'ullv .Illd 

 li.-ive created ;i new spirit .amone i-,.t.ail 

 stores. iu(liuliu;4 iiianv llioists'. The 



Charles F. Boyle. 



percent aiie of li.-id liiils has Im-.-u >;ieally 

 ledllcid wilhiii the l.ist live years .aiui 

 v.arii's .accord i II l; to the volniiie ot liiisi 



lles^. It has lieell the cllstolll Will; liialiv 

 WeahllV people who in p;|st v,;ir> Were 

 the llorists' liest cllstolllrl-s to p.iy their 

 Mils W III lle\ er t he sp- lit luov |.| t helll. 



not. howi'vei. ipfleiier lli;ii! oii.-e a year. 

 A eiMlij deal ot' this pr.lclice v\.;s due to 

 the t'l'eline th.at the tlorists were mak 

 ine' siiidi v.ast jiridits that lioy conld 

 wi II .afford to vv.iit. To .1 cert.aiii extent 

 this was jiist the reason th.at llorists 

 ■ lid char;^e the top prices to tins, par 

 ticiil.ar ci|st iiiiieis, sii that tie airanue 

 iiieiit w :is niiit iial. 



Todav. howevi'i'. the apjitoacii ot' 

 st .aiida rdi/.at ion in the retail llorists' 

 trade is .ali'i'ad.v siL;lited and will imdude 

 within a t'ew short vears ;|ie .-reilit 

 system. \\ r lielieve ill lieiiiL: fe.ason.a I d. 

 iindi'r evi'iv circu nist.auce. i'!\ 1 1 nsioiis 



ot' creilil We do not oliject to it' We uie 

 derst.and the necessity and 'lave ;i 

 knowleclo,. ,,|' the circil Ills! a lice- sliy 

 yi'st ine- extensions. llow'Ver. w,- o, lieve 

 that all promises iii.ade in the cuirse ot 

 sili-h extensions should 

 I.e .ai'ciir.at ely lived up 

 1 o. and otilio;,! i(,i|s a- 



aer I t'lilly e.mci ji'd. 



When a customer 

 doi's not put liis .ac 

 '•oiiiit ill halalire .at 

 least t wice a \ c-ar. 

 siins .are li.id. and 

 when ;i c list oilier makes 

 part i.al jui.v nieii! s 'or a 

 jieriocl of two or { hriM 



vi'.ars, lie\er li.i la Iicili;.; 

 his .account, si;.;iis ar^ 

 ^ worse, .and sooner or 

 I later we find oui-sidves 

 with a li.ad delil on 0111 

 li.ands. I'or this le.asoii 

 o 11 r ;i ti n ti .a I .audit 

 is c.aiid'iil ly superv iseil 

 .and every ■■fforf 'is 

 m.ade to he^in ,1 lu-w 

 year with a clean sheet 

 That is, )io acc<iunt is 

 let't st andinu; ov 1 r sixt v 

 d.avs. 



Collection Methods. 



X'.arioiis met hoos ,ai e 

 em|iloyed to ki ep tin 

 .accounts c(dlpcted to 



date. The l,es| liefhod 



i-^ to see t ha; V our 

 cost (liner ricei ■. . s |,iv 

 inonthlx' s( ;|| ,ii,,iit on 

 a ci'itain d.av. and In 

 w ' II r.a ndy p.a^s if ov ei 

 vv it liollt ;,'ood re.isiUi 

 'I'lie liist iiioiiti, a 'o;!;- 



