A. Y. D. For Lumbermen Too

There was one particular thing about the merchandising operationr of th€ autornobile industry that the public always resentd criticized, and grumbled about that is now being very rapidly and righteously changed.

That is the change in pricing cars from "F.O.B.t' to 'A.Y.D."-f1e1a a price quotation that was deeptive arrd m€aningless to one that is honert and self-e:rplanatory.

Until a short time ago yotr aslred an auto dealer what was the price of a certain car, and he said "Seventeen hundred dollars F.O.B. Chicago; freight and tax extn "

Some answer, rvasntt it?

There war no more r€nsc to it than thene rvould be if you asked a clothing merchant the price of a suit of clothes, and he quoted you the price F.O.B. New York City, freight, handling, a,nd retail profit added.

Now along carne an auto firm that cawht the public vier+'point, and wanted to give tlre public a square deat in the matter, and developed the phrase "AY.D." in auto ralesAT

YOUR DOOR.

Of oourre, that ir the only thing the buyer rvas EVER intenested in What he wanted to lcrow was what the car would cost him, delivered at his door.

And now, of course, the others are rushing to fdl in line. lt won't be long before tlre old half-wittd F.O.B. method of quoting and a& vertising the price of motor cars, will dis"e pear. There waa never a grain of righteousness or intelligence behind it.

The same change is taking place in the lumber industry, not so rapidlyr but just as cer tainly. In the old days the farmer cane to the Iumber dealer a3d caid: ,.I .rn thinLing of building a two-story barn about thirty feet wi& and si:rty feet long, and I'm wondering what it will cost me?"

The lumberman replied: tDimension is so much a thousand boards and shiplap ane s<) much a thousand, and shingler ane ff) much a thousand.tt

Of cours€, there is less sense and lecs intelligence in such an anEwer tlran tihere is in the anEwer of the auto man who quotes an F.O.B. factory price.

There IS more fairness and honesty in the lumbemantE arEwer, because that sortof dGaler has no intention or desire of befuddling his prospect, as has the auto man, or of making him think the price ie lower than it redly is, as the F.O.B. auto man DOES.

With the lumberman who is asked about a buildhg and guotes the price of building material, the care is pure IGNORANCE. Not only . is he NOT tnnng to make the pnoepect think his prices are l,ower than reality, but his methods usually have tlre oplrcsite effecu Nine times qrt of ten a fat price on an intelligendy figured bill for the desired building soun& smaller to the proapect than the per thousand quotation

This is well illustrated by tln oftquoted example of replacing the kitchen f,oor with har& wood. Tell the lady hardrrood fooring ie $150 a thousand, and you rare her to death. Tell her you can aell her enoqhfor her kitdren floor for $17, and it looks light.

But the lumber industry, like the auto industry, must get further away fnom the meaninglelE method of relling thinga

The man who goes to an auto agent for automobile infomation, has a right to aErum€ that he is dealing with an enpert and a apecialist in auto affairg.

The man who goer to a retail lumber dealer has a right to arsume that he fu dealing with sohe.one that knorw mone about building with his matedalE than anyone elre in town, and is in position to give him expert advice and assistance.

The fellow who only carriee building materiab and sells them in bulk, furnishcs rro ex.pert help, and is in the sabe box as the F.O.B. auto man. He is depriving the public and kidding hinself.

[.et's have a whole lot more A.Y.D. businera in the lumber indnst"y. Let's help every pro& pect to use OUR materials to HIS better advantage, so that he may lcrow what his building func{ionE will cost and what they will be lik+AT HIS DOOR.

Weyerhaeuser Company Rushes Construction Of Lewiston Mill

LEWISTON, Idaho, May l7.-Foundations are being poured by concrete crews for the Clearwater Timber Co.'s mill building here, and it is expected that within four months the building will be ready to accommodate the 70 cadoads of sawmill machinery which have been ordered.

J. P. Weyerhaeuser, president of the Clearwater Timber Co., is here from Tacoma to inspect the progress of the work and to confer with J. P. 'Seyerhaeuser, Jr.

L. A. HOO HOO CLUB

President Wickersham was the "surprise" speaker av 13th meetins of the Los Anseles Hoo Hoo Clu