1912 Hoffman House Bartender's Guide by Charley Mahoney

Go to a first class place, buy standard goods and pay the lowest market price. Pay cash when you can, and take full advantage of any discount you may be able to get, for it will make a big item saved at the end of twelve months. Many saloon men make it a rule to patronize only those who patronize them. That is not always a good idea, as you will find that the independent buyer is the one who fares best in the end. He gets the best discounts, and receives the most considera tion, and there is no obligation either way to be discharged. The cash man is welcomed everywhere, and his trade is always sought after. He is invari ably the favored customer, and he is independent and knows it. The man who buys on credit has in many cases, to take what he can get, and is bound, sooner or later, to lose his independence. If you sell for cash, why shouldn't you buy for cash, unless you are personally extravagant, and in that event you ought not to be in business, for you are neither just to yourself nor to the men you deal with. Whatever happens, don't fail to keep up the stand ard of your stock, unless you want your business to run down and out.

66