Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration, v. 01 (of 10)

by American School of Correspondence

RETAIL DELIVERY SYSTEM

Not the least important problem in shipping is that of the retail store. While this problem is of special importance in a large city, it is one which must be met by the retailer in every community. Under present conditions, the retailer is obliged to deliver a large per cent of the goods that he sells, and the tendency is for this percentage to increase rather than decrease.

The shipping or delivery department is the busiest in the entire establishment; the details are so many that only with the most perfect system can the work be handled. The delivery system of one of the big stores is a revelation to most men; and when our purchase, which is but one of thousands made in an hour, is delivered at our door, five or ten miles away, two to five hours later, we marvel at the perfect working of an apparently complex machine. And yet, when we study it, we discover that the controlling factor of this vast system is its simplicity. Less confusion is found, and fewer mistakes are made, in the delivery department of the largest stores in the world than by the delivery boy of your corner grocer; and simple system—method—at every step from the sale to the final delivery is responsible.

While not really complicated, the system of a big store is built to care for many more details than are met with in the smaller store. Since a vast majority of retail establishments are in the latter class, this discussion is confined to the needs of a store of average size.

Average size is a relative term. A store of average size in one community would be considered as a big store in another. In a large city, leading stores dealing in exclusive lines—such as clothing, shoes, or cloaks and suits—answer the description, and it is the needs of such a store that are discussed herein. A system adapted to the needs of a store of this class, can easily be expanded for a department store or modified for a smaller establishment.

Delivery Tag. A delivery system starts, not in the shipping room, but when the sale is made. The very first requisite is a correct address, and the securing of the address rests with the sales person. Unless every necessary precaution to insure accuracy at this point is taken, the further provisions of the system are without avail.

Fig. 19. Label with Colored Border to Indicate Routing

The first step, then, is for the sales person to write the label or tag that is to be attached to the package. It should not be left for another to write the final delivery ticket; this should invariably be done by the sales person, who then becomes responsible for the address. In some small stores, the duplicate sales ticket is made to do service as a delivery ticket, but it is much the safer plan to use a separate tag or label for this purpose. The address on the duplicate sales ticket is quite likely to be illegible, and to provide for all details needed for delivery necessitates a larger ticket than otherwise would be used.

One of the most practical schemes ever devised is to indicate the section of the city by the color, size, or shape of the delivery ticket. The city is first divided into sections, the commonly known sectional divisions being used—as North side, South side, etc. When the sale is made, the customer is asked in what section of the city he resides, and then an appropriate label is selected. All labels are the same in form, but printed a special color for each section. The label shown in Fig. 19 is distinguished by a solid border and bar of color, printed on white paper, all type being printed in black.

Every necessary detail should be provided for on the label. The one illustrated shows the date, the name and address, near what street, the flat number, the name of the salesman, initials of the inspector, and amount (if any) of the C. O. D. The caption, near what street, is of special importance in a large city for it assists greatly in routing deliveries. An address may be given as 437 E. 72nd St., but if it is known that this is near Baker Ave., it is much more quickly located by the driver.

This label is written by the sales person and sent with the goods to the packers. Here, it is pasted on the package—unless it is a C. O. D. package, in which case it is first initialed by an inspector. The same is true of charge sales.

Routing Deliveries. The delivery system proper begins with the routing of the deliveries, which is the first thing done after the goods reach the shipping room. Bins should be provided for the different sections of the city and if the business warrants, these sectional bins should be subdivided, the subdivisions representing routes. Separate bins should be provided for C. O. D. deliveries, and it is well to have a bin for special deliveries, such as those to suburban points, which usually are forwarded by express.

When the packages reach the shipping room, they are sorted into these bins. As an aid to sorting, the colored labels described prove their value. Since the color represents the section, packages can be sorted as rapidly as they can be handled. After they are sorted according to sections, the packages are again sorted into routes.

In certain lines, such as groceries, the average delivery is made up of several packages, all of which are put into a basket. Here, the bins must be differently arranged, being but divisions of the floor space. But the scheme of using colored labels or shipping tags could be used to advantage, especially in a downtown store delivering to all parts of the city. For a grocery with a trade confined to its immediate neighborhood, the sectional divisions are not needed, but the goods should be sorted by routes.

Fig. 20. Regular Delivery Sheet

The Delivery Sheet. After routing, the next step is to record the deliveries. In all modern stores, deliveries to each section of the city are made at stated hours. As a rule, the deliveries are entered on the sheets just prior to the hour for the delivery.

Fig. 20 shows the form of the regular delivery sheet, which is used for cash and charge sales. This sheet shows the date, the name and address, number of packages, and sale number. The column at the extreme right is for the signature of the customer as a receipt for the goods. Whether or not it is either necessary or wise to attempt to secure the signature of the customer, is a disputed question, and probably depends on the class of goods delivered and the extent of the business. A jeweler who delivers a valuable piece of jewelry would be justified in demanding a receipt, but this would be unnecessary for a grocer. The shipping clerk in one department store gives it as his opinion that the signature is not necessary, and, for proof, points to a record of but two inexpensive packages lost in a year.

Fig. 21. Delivery Boy's Call Tag

At the bottom of the delivery sheet, calls are listed. This refers to calls by the driver, where no deliveries are to be made. In a clothing or department store, it frequently is necessary to call for goods that have been delivered on approval, or on which alterations are to be made.

The delivery sheets are put up in book form in duplicate. The original is perforated so that it can be detached, while the duplicate remains in the book. A book is used for each wagon, and each driver signs for his deliveries in the space provided for that purpose at the head of the sheet. The driver then takes the delivery sheet, placing it in a spring-back binder, and turns it in on his return. It is well to keep these sheets on file in the shipping room for at least a month—when it is safe to destroy them.

When a call is to be made, a special tag is given to the driver to be attached to the package. This tag, which is shown in Fig. 21, gives the address, and any special instructions that may be necessary.

When the call is for a garment to be altered, the person taking he call usually ascertains what is to be done, and writes the instructions on the back of the tag. In case no instructions are given in advance, they are usually given when the call is made—in which case they are written on the tag by the driver. When the package reaches the shipping room, reference to the tag shows what is wanted, and the package can be forwarded, at once, to the proper department. Carrying out the color scheme, the call tag should be of a special color to distinguish it from the delivery tag.

C. O. D. Deliveries. Of special importance are C. O. D. deliveries. There must be a positive record which will make it possible to check every item at every stage, including all items collected.

Fig. 22. Collect on Delivery Tag

The handling of a C. O. D. item begins with the sale, when the sales person, in addition to noting on the sales slip that the item is C. O. D., makes out a tag, as shown in Fig. 22. This tag, which should be of a special color, is made with a perforated stub, and on the stub the information on the tag itself is duplicated. The sales person fills in, on both the tag and the stub, the name and address of the customer, the amount to be collected, his own initials, the number of the department, and the date.

The goods and the duplicate sales ticket go to the packing room, while the original sales ticket and the tag go to the office, where they are taken charge of by the C. O. D. clerk. This clerk registers the sale on a C. O. D. register, stamps the number on the tag and stub, and returns them to the packing room. The tag is then attached, and the package sent to the shipping room, while the duplicate sales ticket goes to the auditor's office.

In a store where the packages are wrapped in the department making the sale, the routine is changed to the extent of sending the package direct to the shipping room, with a plain address label. The package is held in the shipping room until the tag, sent direct from the office, is received.

Fig. 23. Special C. O. D. Delivery Book

After they are sorted by routes in the shipping room, all C. O. D. items are entered in special delivery books, as in Fig. 23. This book is made in the same style, as the regular delivery book, with perforated sheets, but should be made of paper of a different color. The form differs but slightly from that of the regular book, the only difference being the addition of columns for the C. O. D. number and the amount to be collected.

When a driver makes a C. O. D. delivery, he gives the customer a receipt on the tag, Fig. 22, but retains the stub. On returning from a delivery, he turns in the stub with the money, and the payments are checked on the duplicate of his delivery sheet. If a package is not delivered, it must be turned in with the complete tag attached. All returned C. O. D. packages are checked on the delivery sheets and entered on the sheets for the next delivery. This system insures a positive check on the driver, for he must turn in either the package, or the stub and the money.

Fig. 24. Office Record of C. O. D. Items

The office record of C. O. D. items is in the form of a register, as shown in Fig. 24. This register is provided with the same columns as the C. O. D. delivery sheet, with columns added for the route number and the driver's number, these columns being used only in the shipping room. All items are registered in numerical order, a new series of numbers, starting with No. 1, being used each month. The book is made with duplicate sheets, the original perforated. Once a day, or as fast as the pages are filled, the originals are sent to the shipping room.

The original sales ticket is placed in an envelope, stamped with the C. O. D. number and filed numerically by the C. O. D. clerk, who also keeps the register. In the system described, the tag receipt takes the place of the sales ticket; but in many stores it is considered best to send the sales ticket with the package.

Fig. 25. Notice of Attempt
to Deliver

When the shipping clerk receives the record sheet from the office, he checks the items against his delivery books and enters the route number and driver's number. As described, each driver's stubs and returned packages are first checked against his delivery sheet; all stubs are then checked against the record sheet, which makes a double check in the shipping room. If a package is refused it is returned either to the department or the general stockroom, and a receipt obtained on the back of the tag. The shipping clerk then returns the record sheet to the office, with the money collected and the tags representing refused packages.

Sales tickets and cash are turned over to the cashier, while tags and sales slips of refused packages are sent to the auditor. The auditor can check both the cash collected on C. O. D.'s and returns against the duplicate sales tickets in his possession.

Undelivered Goods. One of the annoyances met with in the delivery department of a large store is the difficulty in making deliveries because people are not at home. Unsuccessful calls are common, and while it is quite the general custom to leave packages with a neighbor, it is not always possible to do this, which means that the package must be returned to the store. And it frequently happens that this brings forth a vigorous complaint from the customer, who is positive that the delivery could have been made.

One merchant has found a simple solution of this difficulty, which could be adopted with profit by all merchants in large cities. Drivers are supplied with slips printed as shown in Fig. 25. When no one is found at home, one of these slips is filled out and left in the mail box. It shows the date, time of day, name of driver, and name of person with whom the package has been left. The use of this slip eliminates complaints and proves a great convenience to the customer.

Fig. 26. Post-Card Notice of Attempted Delivery

When undelivered packages are returned to the store, and nothing is heard from the customer within 48 hours, a postal card notice, Fig. 26, is mailed to the customer. Frequently, failure to deliver is due to the wrong address, but even if the correct address is not found in the directories, the postal authorities usually succeed in locating the customer.

Fig. 27. Special Delivery Tag

Special Deliveries. Every store, especially in large cities, finds it necessary to make special deliveries. The customer from out of town, or about to leave town, wants a package delivered before a certain hour; the delivery may be to a depot, hotel, office, or even a residence. These are the deliveries which cannot wait for the regular trip of the wagon, but are sent by a boy. The important thing, so far as the delivery department is concerned, is to get them out on time.

Fig. 28. Special Delivery Tag
for Department Store

Fig. 27 shows a tag for special deliveries, used by a clothing house. The tag shows the name and address of the customer, with full particulars of the time and place of delivery. At the end is a perforated stub on which the delivery instructions are repeated. When the tag is attached to the package by the sales person, the stub is torn off and sent directly to the shipping room. The shipping clerk is then on the lookout for the package, and is expected to follow up the proper department, which in this business usually is the tailor shop.

Another form of special delivery tag used by a department store is shown in Fig. 28. This tag gives more detailed information about each step taken, showing the names of all persons handling the package, and the time at which it is handled by each.

When the delivery system of a retail store is studied, it is found to be made up of simple methods, which are assembled to make a complete machine, A noticeable feature of the entire system is that the apparently insignificant details—the little things—are its most important parts; which is true of all systems.

A MODEL FILING DEPARTMENT IN THE WHOLESALE HOUSE OF BUTLER BROS., ST. LOUIS, MO.

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