A™anuaryj907.11J'}    Four  Things  Every  Druggist  Should  Know.  15 
toward  his  own  salary  and  less  than  nothing  toward  making  his 
capital  productive.  It  may  be  said  in  passing  that  bulk  candy 
involves  a  bigger  waste  than  is  realized  by  most  druggists.  Clerks 
are  often  careless  in  weighing  it,  and  there  is  a  temptation  to  take 
a  piece  now  and  then,  besides  handing  one  to  the  customer — espe- 
cially if  the  latter  happen  to  be  an  attractive  girl. 
Now  it  must  not  be  hastily  assumed  that  the  Cleveland  druggist 
should  have  thrown  his  cigar  and  candy  departments  overboard 
because  they  failed  to  bring  him  a  profit  on  the  face  of  the  returns. 
Charles  H.  McConnell,  proprietor  of  the  Economical  Drug  Store  in 
Chicago,  whose  daily  sales  exceeded  a  thousand  dollars,  found  some 
years  ago  that  his  soda  and  cigar  departments  were  actually  losing 
money  for  him  and  he  promptly  abandoned  them.  But  this  step 
cannot  always  betaken  by  the  small  retailer.  Why?  Because  if 
one  department  is  thrown  out,  and  something  else  cannot  be  put  in 
its  place,  the  total  sales  are  reduced  and  the  percentage  expense  is 
consequently  increased.  Let  me  state  the  situation  in  another  way: 
the  average  druggist  has  a  stationary  expense  ;  a  given  department 
or  line,  unless  it  be  that  of  soda,  will  usually  require  no  more  help 
and  no  additional  expense  of  any  kind  ;  there  really  is  no  expense 
attached  to  it,  then  ;  and  the  gross  profit  becomes  net  profit — every- 
thing made  is  "  velvet."  It  would  therefore  be  unwise  in  most 
instances  for  the  small  retailer,  with  limited  possibilities,  to  throw 
out  a  department  which  paid  him  only  20  per  cent,  unless  he  could 
put  in  another  which  paid  him  more.  The  large  dealer  can  do  this. 
Ordinarily  the  small  dealer  cannot. 
But  some  one  might  reply  to  me  at  this  juncture :  If  we  are  going 
to  keep  our  departments  anyway,  what  good  will  it  do  us  to  know 
the  detailed  facts  concerning  their  rate  of  profit  ?  Much  good — ■ 
much  good.  Every  line  and  every  department  should  realize  cer- 
tain returns — returns  which  of  course  are  different  in  every  case. 
One  ought  to  know  whether  a  department  is  "  making  good  "  or  not. 
If  it  is  failing  to  do  so,  systematic  efforts  should  be  made  to  stop  the 
leaks  and  correct  the  situation.  The  clerks  must  be  told  that  the 
department  is  not  doing  what  it  ought  and  they  should  be  put  on 
the  quivive  to  improve  matters.    Knowledge  is  power  I 
And  it  must  be  obvious  to  every  merchant  that  as  few  goods  as 
possible  should  be  sold  at  a  profit  below  the  percentage  expense, 
and  as  many  as  possible  above  it.    By  no  other  rule  can  a  satisfac- 
