96 THE MARKETING OF WHOLE MILK 



problem must take into account more than merely the 

 economy of getting milk to the consumer under the dif- 

 ferent systems. If it were merely a matter of relative 

 cheapness, one system or the other would very likely have 

 driven its rival from the field before now. As a matter of 

 fact, it is just as necessary to consider the nature and im- 

 portance of the various types of services rendered as it 

 is to study relative economy. In order to get a clear notion 

 as to the part which the store plays in the distribution of 

 milk, let us consider the particular services which it ren- 

 ders. These services may be divided into two classes: 

 (i) that of supplying any emergency needs for milk; and 

 (2) that of providing refrigeration for milk until it is 

 needed for immediate consumption. 



Emergency needs arise frequently in every home. Milk 

 on hand may turn sour, or extra needs may arise after the 

 milkman has passed. The grocer's refrigerator often 

 serves as a neighborhood ice box. People who cannot 

 afford ice frequently buy milk as well as other perishables 

 just before meals. People doing light housekeeping follow 

 the same practice. Both of these services, i. e., meeting 

 emergency needs and supplying refrigeration, can un- 

 doubtedly be performed more satisfactorily and more 

 economically by the store, since their performance by 

 the milk dealer would require special deliveries. 



The store as a part of our milk distributing system is 

 also desirable from the producer's point of view, since it 

 makes possible the sale of more milk than could be sold 

 without it. The availability of fresh milk at every neigh- 

 borhood grocery naturally makes for increased sales, and 

 also gives to the whole-milk producer within the city milk- 

 producing zone a better opportunity to compete with the 

 outlying producer of milk for condensery purposes, since 



