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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1925)
( iters oP the Associated Petnilers*^~~5 ' *r. < — _ m _ -»■■. < ___ M ... " —- , - 4 W n $0 C nJol'Z^jia.rLs Hebert Tfcseiz zj^eig^ ? ■ — -r^y-= M _ jmahas Credit Bureau Keeps Close Watch on How Patrons Pay Bills Many weighty volumes on the i sychology of human conduct line the **ll» of the Omaha public library. They have been written for genera tion* by scholarly old gentlemen who oav* made * thorough etudy of the tcienc* of the mind and it* control ^ver th* behavior of individuals. Rut if on*, were to get at the heart ’? Omaha, of the psychology of her esident*, there i* a place where 180.000 names are card indexed, and 1.780.000 ratings of these 350.000 citi zen* and former citizens of the city. Thi* 1* th* office of the Asuoclated Retailer* of Omaha, one of the most important organizations in the busl neaa life of the city, which has Just moved into commodious new quarters the ICih floor of the City National Bank building. There, in a workmanlike manner. Hi* credit! of Omahana aru estate li*hed, rated and Indexed. It I* one of th* most highly ayatematized of fire* In the world, and Omaha mer chant!, who are familiar with credit bureau* in olher cities, are elated by lb* efficiency of their organization. Close Tab Kepi. Here one can find out whether lohn Do* pay* his bills when due, waits a long period, or dodges them sltogether. If Mr*. John Poe and Miss Sarah Doe are in the habit of buy ing large quantities of goods on r|ed;t, keeping them *n unduly long 'Ime, and then returning them to the ► lore, that also I* noted. Righty-five per cent of the reel 'isnta of Omaha buy* on credit. Only per cent fall to pay their bills. 1 herefore, it i* with pride that Oma i'a merchants can say that they live n an honest city. Thi* honesty 1* bat of the big purchaser, the me Hum purchaser, and the little pur ‘baser. It I* reflected In the pur base of pianos *nd fur* and autoroo ■'lee and atioea and grocerlea and uirriwa r*. in ev*ry large city and virtually • very town of any size In th* I'nlted llafen, credit bureau* are rapidly be "* established to help retailer* avoid oe los*e* following the extension of | edit to unworthy cuatomers and for b» equal purpose of eliminating ex '* fP»l w tilth otherwise would be idtisd to price* end paid f>y worthy ‘tiatomer*. The word cooperation ar* b* rgadlly applied in thi* ca*e, { a* Jt mean* true co-operation between the retailer* and the public. Always Bill Dodger*. An everyone know*/ (ire per sons who habitually try to escape pay ment of their debts. Prior to the es tablishment of credit bureaus, t H is class was much greater tn number* than at the present day, and if the total lossey were available it would make a surprising figure. One of the prime objects of the bureau is to re move Ihis great loss in order that the retail stores cifn operate at a lower cost and the public can he able to buy ita merchandise at a lower figure. The Associated Retailers of Omaha was one of the prime movers In the United states In organising a mer chant-owned co-operative credit bu reau for the purposes outlined In the preceding paragraphs. In tlie offices of tip. Associated Retailers of Omaha where headquarters for the credit bu reau, a ra maintained, mors than 000 names are listed on master cards which gives a tolHl of 1,730,000 rat ings. The credit rfcotal of Ihe paying pub lie lias been gathered together in the following manner: Firms Report Daily. All firms report dally, hi weekly or weekly, all accounts they open. Irt this manner, for the year ending Dc camber 31, 1024, there were reported 45,331 new accounts. In order to keep the credit standing record of Indi viduals, all firms are expect'd to rc port any change In the paying habit.-t of their customers. For the year Just passed, changes wets made in credit rulings In the number of 55,072, and during tills same period 2,604 accounts were closed, When ail account Is closed the firm always reports the reason. The Associated Retail r red It bureau ronitefed during (lie luet year 86,864 reports on credit payers In the rlty of Omaha. A glance at these fig ures should convince any merchant that It I* a paying proposition to he associated with his fellow business men In a credit way. In addition to Ihe credit feature, n "ei-ofil Is nlsu kept us to how custom »rs tieut other accommodations of ’eied by the stores The bureau tukrs, lor Inst.ince, Die customer whose hah t l« of huvlng freely then returning 1 portion. If not all, the merchandise tor credit for which stentuailj glier t the buyer an equally bad rating as If his bills were not paid when due. In the constant return of merchan dlse a great deal of lime is consumed which necessarily shIs up all the prof it. made on the sale and It Is felt that few persona realize that In returning merchandise that the time of at least one half dozen individuals In llie stare la again consumed as In the original sale, A. T, Hupp, secretary of the Asaui'l ateil Hoteliers, has this advice to of fer: ‘■floods purchased should he returned If unsatisfactory within a period of three days and accompanied hv the sales check Inasmuch as our merchants stand squarely behind their merchan dise and want the purchaser pleased. If the goods are kept out of Ilia store for a long period the store naturally loses n number of opportu nities to sell this merchandise. Also It may Ire unseasonable when It Is re turned. ■ From observation and Investigation li Is found that very few cities In the country have so comprehensive and thoroughly compiled records ns lias Omaha. This efficient compilation can he traced lo one source, ami that Is the earnest effort of lire men and women employed In the credit depart ments of the Omaha stores, Mr. Ilupp said. \ In order to perform all the neeea »nry work, the Aasoclatad Mctnll I'redlt bureau has s force of ten worn eu and five men. Thera me in con stant use eight trunk lines and thir teen direct telephone llnee to the •torn*. Onuilm Itiiii-uu Pioneer. Thr hwil burfHii yn« hup »»f thr fir<» but r i ijk In I hr country to nffll lit#* y It h Natlnii.lt lattnit r« f Pctall C'irfllt .Mffi Thin aaaocIatlon •Urted with only n f#w of fht lj»igri cities jfcmlcipAtlng. but at thr preatn’1 1636 CinUatl :■% . Aank/ildi ____C>3 • JlrovOii time (here are more than ISO# titles whose cooperative credit bureaus etaml ready to furnish any fellow member with any Information that might be sought. The national assoct atlon now has a membership of more t hurt 13,000 credit men who are all working to one end, ami that ta the uplift of i > edit conditions generally. The national association has gone so fat- aa to look to the credit bureau of Omaha for furtherance of the work throughout the mhidlewest. The ten son for this Is because a large num ber of bureaus In Nebraska, Iowa,, South Dakota ami Missouri have been organized through the efforts of the Omaha bureau and along the same lines. Hy the affiliation In this ni;a tier with the national aanoclatlnn, the Wilful slow-pay and undeali tilile cits turner la unable to travel from one city In another and contract hills which he never expect* to pay, or never can pay. Warnings from Ollier t'lllc*. "Thla office receives many warn Inga from other rltles," said Mr. Hupp, "that undesirable customers are on their way to Omaha. We In turn furnish cities with notices of a similar character. Thla can also work In another wav. hiuI thHt is by send ing the credit record of a worthy cus tomer to another city In case lie may move, which we are only too glad In do If notified by the parlies moving." The Associated Retail Credit Men I* an organization formed to act ns an advisory committee upon (lie con duct of the credit bureau. It meet every Tuesday, at which time matter - of mutual Interest ate taken up and discussed. These mcethiRa might well he - ailed "experience mecllnv and ire belli (TTi Die purposr of pmlrcllnp each other In a medlt. waj ami il tin r,ime lime Iron mil anv dlfflcultlei that might arise relative to Individual customer*. * A reporter for The Omaha nee, In talking to Mr. Hupp, was quit* aur Pilaed at Ihe amount of Information which has been gathered In the office of this association and also the fact that so many people are Ignorant of a good credit standing. An educational campaign wIlf lie launched February 1 and called the "Pay Your Hills Promptly" campaign The credit bureau Intends to herald to every newspaper reader the rca ■on for and necessity of paving hills promptly. Serretarv llupp declared that the bureau was receiving ihe absolute co-operation of practically every organ (sal Ion and society In ihe city In furthering this rampaign. Abe Herrin I K. Jr., president of Ihe Associated Hetnllers of Omaha, was naked for a summary of the work performed in ihe credit bureau. He replied; "The esthllshinenl and successful conduct of Ihe cjedlt bureau which Is owned and operated by Ihe mer chants of ihe city has done more to ward ihe uplift of rredlt than could ever have been done through the Individual efforts of thj firms. It has been n grant medium toward co op eration hclween Ihe customers and merchants, and when Ihe bureau Is properly understood hv ihe public then Ihe Inirenu can he made very Valuable to the Individual buyer." I’aliicatlonal Work. Mr llerr.berg added that It Was Ihe purpose of fhe bureau to rducate the people toward “itch an understanding and bring them Into closer roopers tlon with the merchant, The "I’nv Your llllle Promptly" i ampalcn Is one thin will serv e dike Ihe merchant and his customer, H should he followed with lull t est t i the ritllir ill), and rvriyhiidv should ptofp hv the teachings of the cam palgn The new qfflre of the Associated, Retailers strikes the casual observer forcefully because of the obvious effi ciency of the staff. For a place which has 1,750,000 ratines In its files, there Is a minimum of confusion. The comely young women who preside over the sieol flics c*n deftly put I heir hnnds on any name that' Is asked for. s.i that there is absolutely no delay ■ lit:It Itntinc Valuable. The people of Omaha should an predate the ruble of having a high rating at the bureau. The liest wav to apinie Ibis rafng Is to |mv all bills promptly when due. If you haven’t done III]* teguUrly In the past, it I* never too late to liedn. Slid your latlng will ,hange with yonr change of hshlte. The officer* of the Associated Re tailers are A be Hersberg, Jr, preal deni; Harry Jacobherger, vice pie»l dent. Allen T Hupp- se, rat ary W Stryker, treasurer, and Oeorge I’rsv, W. I,. Holsman, Harry Zltnman, f. R. Brown. T R. Redmond. F. W. Koenig and Robert lto»en*welg. dl rector* Imprisonment for Debt. Only a few score year* ago Kng Ian,| abolished all laws calling for Imprisonment for debt. I’erhaiis the last notable person to be so Incar cerated was Oscar Wilde who, In "The llallad of Heading thiol." im mortalised his confinement, lie said In HsMor*' yard ih* stones are h«rd. And (lie drove.Ilf well la high With the enlightenment of ye*|» a new system has tieen evolved Mer chant*. Instead of seeking drastic punishment for those who ,|o not pay tlielr bills, go out «f their way to assist their customer* In buying with In Ihr llnvlts of their own |to. kethook Blsrctirage Nrckbp Buying ilniaha mer, heels df*,yeucsge reck i less buying. They know that it * bn d bii»ln»r» for themselyra and; their patrons if the latter buy more than they can afford to pay. That is where the credit bureau conies in; it serve* a* a check on (he extravagant buyer of moderate mean* and cl sc* the credit door to the person who cannot or w.ll not |>ay hi* a ('count* Muting on credit lia« developed to a fir greater extent In tills country Mirtn anywhere else on the ;:U'he, Tins Is due' to the fundamental honesty of the Ameiicwn people the intf-prlty of the business men and the *v ste malic methods hv which «; edit pur chasing I* tarried on Nearly cm. peraun but* on cretlli. to .1 large: 01 smaller degree Home confine the 1 “1 barge accounts' to a weekly *rt tlement at the nelghlanduattl gro. cry stole, while others tlml it oonvonlen* to SOI tie all their Mils the r ■! c each month rather than paying cash llnught on (reriit Such necessary mm mod I tie* a* ;> t* electricity ami water ate always bought on credit. lAdls are tvmlevgii after service liaa been given to the consumer. The same la true of the telephone. t'redlt business I*, after all. the ex tension of business on the theory that mankind is honest. Hut too frequent ly mankind I* careless, and cnrcl-ss ness sometimes loads to Worse faults The careless purchaser? who buys without stint, finds himself blocked In these modern times hy the credit bur earn which series as a varum sign post for him. Two Per tenl on I.Ut. The fact that only S per cent of Omahau* are on the blacklist as noi paying their hills Is a imi. i.iuIm) to ihe 1 arefiilnes* and honesty tb tteople of tbr city The merchant* a>e not looking for themselves alone when through the Ws'o. tatrri Metallr - thrv w >1 It stltute on Kebrusty I a Pay ton 1’ Us Promptly" campaign. Ths pro gram of education to he carried out In February should go far in making the purchaser realize the necessity of paving his obligations when they 'are due. Pick nt random two men you ae? walking down one of the downtown busmen* streets. One of them step* a Ion r Url.'-kly. hi* head high s chest ffll expression on his face and a laun'.lnt'S of manner which show* |« clear l.'. k of worry. The other is n trifle dejected in appearance, hi* ti tlfce is furtive, he doe* not seem *■* clear the cup that cheers." The first fellow has paid his hills for the month, while the second has a stack of ii'cm on his desk yvhioh would Now ano Ihrn hr slabs at i v pile and picks out > .few he ran pay . but tlye rest h» has to keep there to worry him sick, studies Omaha Method. The Orsaha Retail Credit bureau Is in business to keep Uuf uafartgnat* and careless person from letting any more bills accumulate to cause him |os* of alecn and appetite It Is doing him a grrsi gent hv denying htm future credit. The bureau teaches hint to t>e more careful in the future. *•' that after hi* debt* have been wiped off the slate, and he reestab lishes his i red it. he yvlll make hi ■ purchases conform with hi* monthly Income. , The efficiency of site Omaha or ” miration !* mode plain by the f#> t that many other ones in thlg aection of the country are pat'emed after It ICwrv few day* a visitor assigned he the merchants of another eliv colls ,>n Mr llupp and *«ks te lie shown »he Omaha met lost of doing hustio Hv I* alwa's a.coinnvo dated tie! thee* \tsttwr* go hopvs amazed and please,! at the simplicity ' 1 ’ y f t a* I'm* h . bureau.