■■■:^.f^. 



t2!S THIRD ANNUAL REPORT 



bring a better price than the other? If a section weighs lYz 

 pounds, wouldn't they be willing to pay for ij^ pounds? 



Mr. Muth — No, sir. There are 24 sections in a case, and 

 the case weighs 25H pounds. The retail grocer will figure 

 out each section will cost him say sixteen cents a pound; if 

 under this weight you could sell for 18 cents a pound, and 

 make about 40 cents on the case; but if he has to pay 18 

 cents a pound he will have to sell it for 20 cents, and a lady 

 will come in and say, "You sell that frame of honey for 20 

 cents? I can get all I want for 18 cents." Your.= might be 

 so big, and the other so small, it is the same thing, I assure 

 you. Life is too short to talk with people. Give to them just 

 exactly what they want, and let them alone. [Applause.] 



Dr. Miller — I would like to ask: These people that buy 

 light-weight sections, do they think they are getting full- 

 weight ? 



Mr. Muth — No, sir. We are not talking about weights at 

 all. Now, mind you, I am no retailer. If I see a customer 

 come up to buy a pound of honey I am astonished, because 

 none come to me. I am a wholesaler. I am taking the posi- 

 tion of the retailer, and I am catering to the retail grocery 

 trade. That's what I suppose you want to know. 



Dr. Miller — If I have a 24-section case that weighs 24 

 pounds can I get as much a pound for that as if it weighed 

 22 pounds to the case? 



Mr. Muth — Yes, that will go all right. 



Dr. Miller — Same thing? 



Mr. Muth — This man who sent me the $275.00 worth of 

 honey gets just as much from me, but I wish he had his 

 honey and I had my money. How am I going to get rid of it? 

 I have to stick it on to some fellow that doesn't know any- 

 thing about it. I am selling by the weight. He is not going 

 to make as much. Maybe I am a little bit too frank with you, 

 gentlemen. 



Pres. York — We are not used to it in Chicago ! Look out 

 for him ! 



Dr. Miller — Never mind him. I am from the country. 

 I want to know about that case of honey, the one that's light 

 weight. The light-weight section will bring just as much 

 money as the section that weighs 17 ounces because the peo- 

 ple think that they are all just alike! 



Mr. Muth — That doesn't give the situation. Say a 24- 

 section case of honey will weigh, 22 pounds. We will say 

 at IS cents a pound, that would make $3.30. Now divide that 

 by 24 — about 14 cents a piece. He will get 18 or 20 cents for 

 it, and he is going to make a nice profit. But if his case of 

 honey weighs 25 pounds, he has to pay me 15 cents a pound. 

 A retail grocer is not a broad-gauged man, and competition 

 drives him to see money, and he will hesitate a whole lot be- 

 fore he will take an over-weight case of honey when a short- 

 weight case is presented to him, because it always sells by 

 the section. 



Dr. Miller — You get just as much for one section as for 

 the other? If a grocer held up two sections before a woman 



