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MODERN METHpDS OF 

 RETAIL MANAGEMENT 



Learning the trade with her letters, Miss May McAdams, daughter of 

 the dean of Chicago retailers, Andrew McAdams, grew up in and with the 

 business. Long experience and thorough training as her father's right- 

 luind "man," combined with natural ability, make the ivriter of this article 

 exceptionally well fitted to handle her subject. 



say, 



NE of the results of the 

 various transitions through 

 which the retail florists' 

 trade has passed is that the 

 science of selling flowers 

 has become more impor- 

 tant than the science of 

 growing flowers. The 

 time has passed when the 

 florist could sit back and 

 "Let business come." The in- 



creasing demand for flowers and the 

 competition engendered by the demand 

 make it necessary for the florist to go 

 after business. He must interest his 

 customer; he must woo her and win her. 

 Having won her, he must do all in his 

 power to keep her. 



First Principles. 



In succeeding articles I hope to sug- 

 gest various methods of carrying on 

 this campaign of acquiring and hold- 

 ing customers, but before going into 

 details, let us consider two principles 

 which should be working before the 

 shopkeeper invites trade. First, the 

 business should be well organized; co- 

 operation among employees should be 

 well established, and the spirit of 

 cooperation with other retail florists 

 should be at work. Secondly, the busi- 

 ness should be well systematized. 

 There is no business where the lack of 

 system is more fatal. Salespeople 

 should be trained to follow a system 

 in taking and filling 

 orders. Stock should 

 be bought, sold and 

 delivered according 

 to system, and the 

 bookkeeper should be 

 capable of practicing 

 a system which is in- 

 fallible. Mistakes in 

 statements have an- 

 gered and turned 

 away many good cus- 

 tomers. 



Then comes the 

 problem of interest- 

 ing the public. To 

 advertise extensively 

 is surely to arouse in- 

 terest. Advertising 

 material presented in 

 an attractive form is 

 an inducement which 

 the reader cannot re- 

 8 i 8 1 . Department 

 stores spend enor- 

 mous sums of money 

 that they may get 

 th«lf wares before 

 the women, through 



whose hands four-fifths of the money 

 is poured into these stores. The fiorist, 

 too, should make his strongest appeal 

 to the women. An alluring pamphlet 

 with an appropriate sketch, announc- 

 ing some seasonable attraction, will 

 often secure a customer. An artistic 

 sketch of a sweet girl graduate is a 

 timely suggestion to her friends. At 

 Christmas a list of floral possibilities 

 to the fagged shopper is a boon. Book- 

 lets containing, hints on table and wed- 

 ding decorations furnish the hostess and 

 bride with many valuable suggestions. 

 Boxes, too, can be made a great ad- 

 vertising medium. Boxes neat and 

 original in design and decoration are 

 a delight to the recipient. It might 

 be well said here that a properly packed 

 box is much more acceptable than one 

 carelessly got together. In order to 

 have each row of blooms carry with- 

 out injuring the next, it is necessary 

 to prepare wadding pillows, which 

 should be covered with strips of oiled 

 paper and laid on the calyxes of the 

 flowers. Sheets of oiled paper should 

 line the box. The card which is to be 

 enclosed in gift orders should be placed 

 so as to attract attention as soon as 

 the box is opened. 



Up-to-Date Appearance. 



Up-to-date-ness, simplicity and neat- 

 ness, blended together to create ele- 

 gance, should be the aim in the ap- 



Up-to-date Appolntoienti Mark the Fint-Claa Flower Store. 



pointments of a flower shop. These 

 three elements offer great possibilities 

 of beauty. 



To keep the appearance up-to-date, 

 frequent changes of decoration are 

 necessary. Tear down the old frieze 

 of twenty years ago; line your store 

 with mirrors and hanging cases; in- 

 stall a modern refrigerator. Fresh 

 tinting, fresh paint, new architectural 

 details, such as columns and arches, 

 which will furnish new background for 

 floral effects, will give a store a tone 

 of prosperity and will cause its cus- 

 tomers to gaze about in admiration. 



In his desire to display all the stock 

 within his establishment, the average 

 florist misses the great opportunity for 

 perfect decorative effects. Cluttered 

 masses of many varieties only confuse 

 the would-be purchaser. Simplicity is 

 the keynote of charm in floral detail. 



Harmonious Decorations. 



A few flowers, harmonious in color 

 with their surroundings, arranged in 

 handsome vases of pottery; a palm or 

 two in copper or Teco jardinieres, and 

 perhaps a few ferns in receptacles 

 which are a part of the architectural 

 detail are enough to complete the at- 

 mosphere of elegance and refinement 

 which at present dignify too few flower 

 shops in this country. 



The window decoration of a shop is 

 significant of the character of the shop. 

 It should display the 

 taste of an artist. 

 Color and arrange- 

 ment are the impor- 

 tant factors. The 

 decoration should 

 suggest the flower 

 and idea of the sea- 

 son. Fruit combined 

 with flowers and 

 leaves furnishes an 

 effective fall window. 



ttm ^^^^m Water and ships in 

 I.^^^^B the spring suggest 

 H^^^^^H farewell messages of 

 V'^^^^l flowers to those sail- 

 • <^^^" ing. A map of the 

 world suggests the 

 fact that orders can 

 be cabled to any 

 port. Passersby ap- 

 preciate unusual 

 decorations. All win- 

 dows observe Fourth 

 of July and Memorial 

 day, but a Burns or 

 Shakespeare or Scott 

 birthday observance 

 is unique and there- 



